


One More Chance

by OlicityAddicted



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Adoption, Alternate Universe, Child Neglect, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of miscarriage, Nightmares, Oliver and Felicity are adoptive parents, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Pregnancy, Protective Felicity Smoak, Protective Oliver Queen, no vigilantes, parenting, the violence is not too graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-02-26 15:44:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18720097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlicityAddicted/pseuds/OlicityAddicted
Summary: After years of vain efforts trying to have a baby, Oliver and Felicity decide they are ready to adopt a child.When they meet a little boy with sad eyes and a troubled past, they feel a strong need to protect him and want to show him that there are people in the world who can love unconditionally.They want to give him one more chance at being loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with a new fic!
> 
> As written in the tags, the fic will mention child abuse, as in neglect, physical and emotional abuse, but nothing too graphic.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy Oliver and Felicity's journey as they show a little boy that he can be loved unconditionally.
> 
> Also, I know that adopting a child is not as easy as described in this fic, but I wanted to keep it simple, avoiding the boring parts. So, for the sake of this fic, let's pretend this is how it happens.  
> And, English is not my first language, I'm sure there'll be mistakes, I apologize for them.

Oliver and Felicity stood in front of the closed doors.

Laughs and happy shrieks could be heard from the other side, making them smile. They were finally there.

“Are you ready?” The kind woman next to them asked.

They looked at each other, emotion written all over their faces. Holding each other’s hand tightly and without adverting their eyes, they nodded.

“We’re ready,” Oliver confirmed.

And they were.

Most people thought that getting married at a young age was going to end up in a quick divorce after just a few months, but that was not their case.

They met when they were in college, he was 23 and she was 20. Oliver was a jerk and only cared about having fun. Felicity was smart and focused on school. They were quite the opposites, but one stormy afternoon left them stuck together in the same coffee shop and made it possible for them to talk to each other for the first time.

And their lives changed.

Oliver realized he didn’t want to waste his time having meaningless relationships, what he felt for Felicity was nothing he ever felt before meeting her. He didn’t want to let her go. And he quickly fell in love with her.

Felicity was the only one who saw the real Oliver, the man that hid underneath the careless guy who slept around. And when she got to know him better, she knew she was right, that he was the nicest man she had ever met. And she quickly fell in love with him.

They started a relationship, and after just two years, a boat accident kept them apart. Oliver was stranded on a deserted island for over a year. A whole year where he had to learn how to survive. A whole year where he didn’t know if he was going to see Felicity again. A whole year where Felicity didn’t even know if he was still alive.

Then a group of fishermen found him and helped him to go back home. Back to _her_.

The next day after his return, Oliver proposed to Felicity. Being away from her left him with an emptiness inside his chest, something was missing, a vital part of him. His heart ached at the thought of spending another day away from her. Felicity didn’t even let him finish the question, she said yes.

They didn’t doubt for a second what they had, their love. So, getting married after everything only felt right. And no matter if sometimes they argued, their love never faltered, it only grew stronger.

Two years into the marriage, they decided together that they wanted to have a baby. They tried and tried, but, somehow, they were left with no child. So, they went through all the tests to see if they could actually have a baby, and after finding out that it was possible for them, they asked for help.

Nothing was wrong with her, or Oliver, they were perfectly healthy and able to conceive.

After years of hormone treatments and two failed artificial inseminations, it finally happened. Felicity was pregnant. And it was the best feeling in the world for them both. But their hopes were crushed just a couple of weeks later, when Felicity had a miscarriage.

Through struggles, pain and tears, the little miracle was taken from them, just like that.

It was a hard blow. They cried for days, but their loss never pulled them apart. On the contrary, it only brought them closer.

After four years of vain efforts, they started to lose hope, but they still desired to have someone to take care of and to love, even if nature seemed to be working against them. And that was what led them to stand in front of the closed doors.

They were ready to adopt a child.

The manager of the place, Karen, opened the doors and led them in a room full of children. There were at least 30 kids, boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 5, different races, some quiet, others full of energies. Some were playing with toys, some looked at images on books, others ate snacks.

Both Felicity and Oliver were overwhelmed.

“How are we going to adopt only one?” Felicity whispered.

“I know. If it was up to me, I would take all of them back at home with us.” Oliver shook his head in wonder.

Karen gave them a knowing smile, probably having heard those words so many times in the years she worked at the center. “That’s why you’re here. You went through the pre-adoption education, all the documents have been dealt with and you are considered qualified and ready to adopt a child. Everything is how it is supposed to be. Now, you need to meet the children and see if there is someone here that might steal your hearts.”

They smiled at her words. That was exactly what they were hoping to find.

As they walked further into the room, Karen continued to talk. “You can take all the time you need to interact with them. Spend some time together, get to know them. I suggest you come back a few more times before deciding on who to adopt. The more time you spend with the children, the higher are the chances of finding the right one for you. Also, it gives us a chance to see how said kid reacts to your presence.” They nodded at her as they looked around. “The children are our priority. We need to be sure we are handing them to people who will take care of them in the best possible way, and make sure they are okay with it.” Karen hesitated before saying her next words. “These kids are here because they had a rough start at life. Whether they lost their birth parents or were taken away from them for one reason or another, they went through some pain and loss. We need to make sure they won’t suffer again.”

“Of course.” Felicity agreed.

“I’ll leave the two of you now.”

“Thank you, Karen.” Oliver told her sincerely.

_Thank you for your advice. Thank you for taking us here. Thank you for giving us a chance._

With a smile, the woman went further into the room to talk to a girl who worked there. There were four more couples other than Oliver and Felicity. Three were playing with the kids, while the other looked around like them, unsure on how to proceed.

Felicity tightened her hold on Oliver’s hand. “We’re finally here.”

“Yeah.” Oliver’s throat was tight.

They looked at each other and took a deep breath.

A kid bumped into Felicity, making them look down at the 3 years old boy who was looking up at them.

“Sorry.” He said.

Felicity smiled at him and kneeled to take the toy he had dropped to the floor. Still crouched, she held it out to him. “That’s okay.”

He smiled and took it from her hands. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” The words were barely out of her mouth when the kid ran away to play with others.

With a chuckle, Oliver helped her to stand again. “I don’t even know where to start. There are so many.”

“Yeah.”

A girl, probably 3, waved at them, smiling brightly as she played with a doll. They glanced at each other.

“We have to start somewhere.” Felicity said as they made their way to her.

They spent some time with her, then went to talk to a boy. A group convinced them to play with them, one of those silly games that kept their minds occupied, making them forget they were there to adopt only one child.

Oliver and Felicity were laughing more than they did in the last few months, maybe even years.

They were still laughing when Felicity felt someone watching her. She raised her eyes and looked around, but everyone seemed focused on what they were doing. It was odd because she was sure someone was watching her. _She felt it_. She stood and looked around more.

On the far left corner of the room, there was a little boy, probably around 4 years old. He had pale skin, dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was sitting alone at a table near the windows, facing the wall, his body turned just enough to look at her.

When their eyes met neither moved nor reacted. It felt like an eternity, but it was probably just a few seconds. She didn’t miss the look of pure sadness that flashed in his eyes before he lowered his gaze and turned back to face the wall.

As if attracted by a magnet, Felicity walked to him. When she was near enough, she could see he was coloring on a book. She slowly approached him and kneeled next to the table.

“Hi.” Felicity smiled at him.

The boy slightly turned his head. “Hi.” He barely whispered.

“What’s your name?” She gently asked him.

He hesitated for a second. “Lucas.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Lucas was the name they would have picked for their baby if it was a boy.

“Lucas,” she said, her voice trembling, “that’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you.” He replied, as he focused back on his work.

“My name is Felicity.” The corner of his lips twitched as if he wanted to smile. “What?” She asked, intrigued.

He shrugged. “It’s a weird name.”

“You think? It means happiness.”

Lucas raised his head and stared into her eyes. Felicity was faced with a look so intense that it even rivaled Oliver’s. She had no idea a child’s eyes could hold so much in them.

After a moment of silence, he pointed at the book in front of him. “Want to color with me?”

With her heart in her throat, Felicity smiled, grabbed a chair to sit next to him and started to color. She let him do most of the work as she just stared at him with a smile on her lips. A little frown formed between his brows as he focused on the drawing, careful not to color outside the lines.

After just a couple of silent minutes, she recognized Oliver’s steps getting closer. “Hey.”

Felicity and Lucas looked up at him and Oliver smiled at the child. “Hi, I’m Oliver.”

Lucas glanced at her and then back at Oliver.

“This is my husband.” She told the boy. “Oliver... He’s Lucas.”

His eyes found hers, emotion filling them. He looked back at the kid. “Lucas... it’s a beautiful name.”

“She said it too.” He pointed at Felicity.

“Because _it is_ a beautiful name.” Oliver confirmed, crouching next to Felicity’s chair. He looked on the table. “Is that a kangaroo?”

“Yes.” Lucas’s eyes lit up when Oliver recognized the animal.

Her husband looked at her. “And you’re coloring it even if you’re-”

“My fear for kangaroos is legit.” She replied with wide eyes. “There are registered kangaroos’ attacks almost every day, and it is proven that they are aggressive. No wonder I have nightmares about them conquering the world-”

She was interrupted by Lucas’s giggles, which he tried to stifle by covering his mouth with his hands. It was the first real sign of a laugh since when she sat next to him.

“Are you laughing of my fear for kangaroos?” Felicity asked with a barely covered smile.

“It’s a little funny.” He said, small dimples appearing on his rosy cheeks.

“That’s what I always tell her.” Oliver whispered to him, almost conspiratorially. “There are no kangaroos here, she doesn’t need to be afraid of them. Right?”

The boy nodded.

“Do you like animals?” Felicity asked him.

“Some are cute. I like dogs. I don’t like cats.” He scrunched up his face in disgust as he shook his head, making Oliver and Felicity smile.

“Dogs but no cats. Got it.” Her husband nodded. “I see you like green.” He pointed out at the 6 different shades of green pencils on the table within Lucas’s reach.

“Green is awesome.” He confirmed. “And blue.”

“Just like your eyes.” Felicity told him softly.

The kid looked at her, a small smile still on his lips. “Your eyes too.” Then he looked at Oliver. “And your eyes.”

“Yeah.” He whispered.

Out of the corner of her eye, Felicity saw Karen walking to them. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we’re about to get the kids ready for dinner.” She told them gently.

“Oh... Okay, yeah, right.” Felicity stuttered.

She quickly glanced at the clock and noticed the late hour. She didn’t even realize that they spent the entire afternoon with the children. Felicity just wished she had spent more of that time with Lucas.

“I hope to see you soon, Lucas.” Oliver told him, standing from the floor.

“Bye.” He waved his hand and Oliver waved back.

The sadness was back in Lucas’s eyes.

“Bye, Lucas.” Felicity tried to stand from her chair but was unable to do that when the boy's eyes found hers. Before she could stop herself, she opened her arms a little. “Can I have a hug?”

Lucas looked at her with wide eyes. He glanced at Oliver and Karen, then back at her. “From me?” He asked in shock and Felicity nodded.

Felicity was sure that the moments that followed were going to remain impressed in her mind for the rest of her life.

Lucas reached for her and Felicity had to finally leave the chair to meet him halfway, and to prevent him to fall from his chair. She wrapped her arms around him gently, not wanting to scare him or overwhelm him. But Lucas... He held onto her so tightly that it almost hurt. There was desperation in his hug, and his shaky breath made her tighten her hold on him just a little more. She felt as if he didn’t want to let go of her, so she didn’t pull back until he did after a long moment. Only then she let him go, albeit reluctantly.

“Bye.” He whispered before standing from his chair to follow the other kids out of the room, his head hanging low.

Felicity kept her eyes on him the entire time. When he reached the door, he turned to look back at them. Lucas waved at them, and both Felicity and Oliver waved back before he disappeared behind the door.

Felicity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt Oliver’s hand on her shoulder, a reassuring weight that he was there with her.

She looked back at him, and he smiled at her.

“Let’s go home.”

→

“They were all very polite.” Felicity said while putting the dishes in the sink. “Everyone was like ‘sorry’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.”

Oliver nodded as he helped her clean up. “Yeah. I’m happy to see that they take good care of all of those children.”

They spent their dinner eating in silence, mulling over the day at the center. Now, they were avoiding the elephant in the room, Oliver knew that. He knew they needed to talk about every kid they interacted with, discuss whether there was someone that stood out, but it was like they both didn’t know how to approach the subject. Talking about it made it feel just so real that they didn’t want to ruin the day in case they didn’t agree on the children.

But ever since the moment Oliver saw Felicity sitting with Lucas, he felt something in his chest that was hard to ignore. He couldn’t shake the images out of his mind.

His wife’s eyes as she looked at the boy, the small smile playing on her lips as they colored together, his giggles as Felicity babbled, their hug. His sad eyes when he had to leave.

Oliver didn’t know how or why, but he found himself wanting to spend more time with Lucas the next time they visited the place.

Felicity suddenly stopped her task and turned to look at him. “Are we going to talk about it?” She questioned, reading his mind -like always.

Oliver placed the towel back on the counter and gave her his full attention. “About what exactly?”

She shrugged. “We should talk about specific kids, the ones that made an impression. We’re supposed to decide who to adopt... We should know what the other thinks about every kid we spent some time with.”

He nodded, walking closer to her. “You’re right. Who’s the first?”

She took a deep breath. “Ok... I think Jackie and Adam were very passionate about what they were doing. Very focused and dedicated.”

“I noticed that too.” He agreed. “They seemed nice. Michael and Hannah didn’t look interested in getting to know us, though. It seemed that they liked the Bowens.”

“Yeah, but maybe it’s better this way. They were so full of energies, I don’t think I’d be able to run after them. They are probably tireless!” Felicity laughed and he joined her.

When they sobered up, Oliver took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. “Felicity... I saw you with Lucas.”

She inhaled sharply. “It’s not about the name.”

“I know it’s not.” He reassured her, his voice soft. “I know it’s more than that.”

Felicity glanced away for a second before gazing up at him again. “It’s... I don’t know. We were playing with the other kids, and I felt him staring at me, at us. I _felt_ him. Then I saw him looking, and when he adverted his look, he had this expression on his face, his eyes...” She shook her head. “He was just so sad and- and alone.”

“And then you made him smile.” The memory brought one on his own lips.

“It was such a simple smile, over nothing... Then we had to leave and, Oliver, he hugged me so, _so_ tightly... It made my heart ache to let him go.”

Oliver saw tears forming in her eyes. He took a step closer and ran his hands over her arms in a comforting way.

She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing. “I know Karen said that we need to see them more than once to understand if we can be a family for one of them, and before choosing someone, but... I can’t get him out of my head.”

Oliver nodded. “I know. I can’t either. Which is weird because he’s probably the kid we spent the less time with. It was just a few minutes.”

“I know.”

“So... Maybe we can spend some more time with him the next time we go?” He proposed. “See how it goes, how he feels around us.”

Felicity’s eyes immediately regained life. “I would love that.”

Oliver gave her a firm nod. “Then that’s what we’re going to do.”

→

Three days later they were at the center again. Karen was happy to see them back and wished them a good time before leaving them with the children.

Just like the first time, they started with the first kid they had in front of them. They talked and played with some other, but both Oliver and Felicity always found themselves looking at the boy in the far left corner of the room, sitting alone at the table near the window, facing the wall, coloring a book.

Just fifteen minutes after their arrival, they made their way to him.

“Hi, Lucas.” Oliver said when they were a few feet away from the boy.

He turned to look up at them surprised, a small smile appearing on his lips. “Hi.”

“You remember us?” Felicity asked, even if Lucas’s reaction told them he did.

He nodded. “Are you here to color with me again?”

Oliver watched Felicity’s smile grow even more. “Well, yes, we would love to.”

Lucas scooted to the side with his chair as if he was making room for them. They both grabbed a chair and Felicity sat directly next to him, Oliver wanted to sit next to Lucas too but didn’t want to make him feel caged in, so he sat on his wife’s other side.

Lucas moved his colored pencils closer to them and they each grabbed one.

“So, Lucas, how are you today?” Felicity asked.

“Good.” He simply answered.

Oliver looked at the book he was coloring. It was the picture of a baseball game. “Do you like baseball?”

He nodded. “Yes. But I don’t know how to play it.” Lucas looked up at him. “You know how to play?”

“Of course.” He replied with a smile. “It’s my favorite sport.”

Lucas smiled a little.

“Do you have any other favorite sports?” Felicity asked him.

They went on for a while. Asked him about his favorite food, games, cartoons, anything that came to mind, all the while he colored and they pretended to help him, letting him do what he enjoyed. He answered their questions with just a few words, but from the looks he gave them he didn’t seem bothered by their presence.

Way too soon, it was time to leave. Oliver and Felicity stood.

“It was good to see you again, Lucas.” Felicity told him.

As he stared up at them, his eyes once again sad, he whispered his next words. “Will you come here again?”

It brought a smile on their faces.

“Of course we’ll be back.” Oliver replied.

“Okay.” Lucas whispered, a small smile on his face too.

Felicity kneeled in front of him and opened her arms, the boy didn’t hesitate and hugged her briefly, before pulling away, looking almost shy. He looked at Oliver, who did the same as his wife, kneeling on the floor.

Lucas hugged him too, tightly, just like with Felicity, and Oliver knew exactly what she meant when she told him about the ache in her heart at letting him go.

When he pulled away, Lucas glanced at him and then at Felicity, he bid them a quick “Bye,” and then scrambled away, out of the room.

They looked at each other with a matching frown on their faces, thinking that him fleeing like that was a little odd. He was probably just nervous about talking to people he didn’t know. Yet.

But the same thing happened the next four times they visited. They arrived, greeted the other kids, made their way to Lucas, spent the afternoon together talking and coloring his books, hugged, and, before they left, he ran away from them.

When it happened again after their sixth visit, they were starting to wonder if they were actually bothering him.

“Don’t take it personally.” A familiar voice said from behind them.

They turned around and saw Karen looking at them with a kind smile. “Lucas is not used to couples keeping him company. And I couldn’t help but notice that you spend every visit with him.”

“Uh- yeah...” Felicity started, still a little confused.

Oliver wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We enjoyed spending time with him the last few times we visited. We like keeping him company.”

“I can see that.” Karen told them. “And I would like to talk to you about it.”

She motioned for them to follow her. They arrived at her office, where she told them to sit down on the couch while she sat in the armchair in front of them.

“As I was saying, Lucas is not used to the attention. Couples tend to spend time with more lively children. He’s very active too, don’t get me wrong, he plays a lot with the other kids and our staff. He feels safe here. But when we open the doors for visits, he gets nervous and prefers to sit alone to color his books, even when we encourage him to join in the activities.”

“Why?” Felicity asked.

Oliver frowned. “He doesn't seem bothered by our presence. Until we leave, that is.”

Karen smiled. “It’s part of my job to notice how children react to people they don’t know and, trust me, he was absolutely at ease with you.”

“Then why he always runs away like he is afraid of us?” Felicity wondered, fidgeting nervously.

“He’s not afraid of you. He’s afraid of what he’s feeling.”

Her words confused them even more. Oliver looked at Felicity and she met his gaze with a deep frown.

“What do you mean?” She asked Karen.

“All of these children have been through something. A loss, a tragedy, pain, neglect. You name it, they’ve been through it.” Karen informed them. “They don’t have parents who can support them at the moment, but they still need that support from someone. We have a consultant for that.”

“Like a therapist?” Oliver asked.

“Yes, a therapist.” Karen confirmed with a nod. “The kids see her as their friend, someone they can trust with their past and secrets. And she told me that lately Lucas... has changed.”

“Changed how?” Felicity questioned, biting her lip nervously. Oliver tightened his hold on her hand trying to calm her.

“It’s a positive change. He seems happier and more willing to talk. She noticed this change right around the time of your second visit.”

His heart started to beat faster in his chest, and if Felicity’s intake of breath was any indication, the same thing happened to her.

“If he’s happier that’s good.” Felicity said, her voice trembling slightly. “But I don’t understand why he runs away when we have to leave.”

“Felicity, he runs away because he doesn’t want to see the two of you leave.” Karen told them gently. “ _He_ goes away before _you_ have the chance to leave _him_. He’s trying to protect himself from a possible disappointment, from a loss.”

Her words left them speechless. Did Lucas want to spend more time with them? Was he afraid they were going to suddenly disappear from his life?

Before Oliver had the chance to pose his questions, Karen continued.

“Lucas is a very special kid. He’s capable of loving so much when he gets attached to people who care about him. Unfortunately, his previous families... weren’t so nice to him. All he wants is to be loved by someone.”

“They weren’t nice?” Felicity asked, worried.

“Yes, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you details of his past until you’re sure you want to adopt him. You know, for privacy. And to protect him as much as we can.” Karen told them.

Oliver thought about her words.

He was suddenly sure he wanted to adopt Lucas. He wanted to teach him how to play baseball, how to make his favorite cookies. He wanted to protect him from any physical threat, and from the monsters inside his head. He wanted to see Lucas smile, to enjoy every moment with him and Felicity.

Oliver glanced at his wife. His same thoughts were reflected in her eyes.

“I’ll tell you what...” Karen started before they could express their thoughts. “You go home and wait a few days before coming back again. I can see in your eyes what you want to tell me.” She kindly smiled at them. “But I advise you to wait and talk to each other, think hard about it. Adopting a child is not an easy decision to make and choosing who to adopt is even harder. I want you to be sure of your decision. If you won’t change your mind... You know where to find me.”

→

Four days passed. When they weren’t working, Oliver and Felicity spent all their time at home, talking about the possibility of adopting Lucas. They both felt a connection to him, a link that they could not explain. It was a strong want to protect him and take care of him, a want to make him happy and have a serene life. It was a want to love him. And as the days passed, they missed him more and more. No other child they met at the center invaded their minds once. Only Lucas was a constant.

It was clear to both that a decision was already made.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think about it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!! I didn't think that chapter was going to make so many people cry!!! Now I'm scared of posting this one... I guess you'll need to grab some tissues before reading it.
> 
> As I said before, child neglect and abuse are going to be mentioned.

They waited two more days before going back to the center, just to be sure they wanted this. Almost a week had passed from the last time they saw Lucas, and they both felt as if they were torturing themselves staying away.

So, they went back to the center to talk to Karen about it.

A young man led them to the room they had become so familiar with and told them he was going to inform Karen about their arrival.

As Oliver and Felicity waited, their eyes fell on the same spot Lucas liked to color, in the far left corner of the room, near the window, at the table facing the wall.

Their hearts stopped when they saw an empty chair.

Oliver felt Felicity’s sharp intake of breath, her hand crushing his in her tight grip, her entire frame trembling against him.

They looked around, hoping that maybe Lucas was playing with the other kids, even if that was unlikely, seeing how it was time for visits. When they didn’t spot him anywhere, he heard his wife’s shaky voice.

“Oliver...”

He wanted to reassure her, tell her that there was a reason why Lucas was not there as usual. It wasn’t possible that another couple adopted him in less than a week... right?

Steps approached them from behind and when they turned, they saw Karen.

“Oliver, Felicity. I’m happy to see you back again.” She smiled at them, but that soon disappeared when she saw the expressions on their faces. “Is everything alright?”

Oliver pointed at the empty chair. “Lucas, he’s... he’s not here.”

The woman followed their line of sight and she nodded. “I know. Tyler is still new here, I’m sorry he didn’t inform you sooner about Lucas.”

Oliver’s heart skipped a beat.

_No._

They already started to care about that child, they couldn't lose him too. It couldn't happen again.

Before they had the chance to break down, Karen continued. “Lucas isn’t here because he’s a little sick. He got the flu the other day, and today he didn’t feel like getting up from his bed. We didn’t want him to strain himself, so he’s still in his bedroom to rest.”

Oliver and Felicity visibly relaxed at the news, and Karen smiled even more. “You made a decision, didn’t you?”

They both nodded.

“I think it’s safe to say we did, and...” Oliver glanced at Felicity, who had regained some color knowing that they still had a chance. “We would really like to adopt Lucas.”

There, the words were out in the open. A sense of relief filled his entire body, and Oliver knew it was the same for Felicity.

“Very well.” Karen nodded. “If want you follow me, I can tell you more about him.”

They walked the same corridor that they saw so many times in the last few months, when they were getting ready for this moment. They sat on Karen’s couch once again, now with a different mentality and a strong hope in their hearts.

“Can we see Lucas, later? If he’s feeling better?” Felicity asked the woman in front of them.

“Of course, I think he would like that. I just want you to know some things about his past before telling him anything. I want to be sure you know who you’re going to adopt if we go through with this, and not give him false hope in case you’ll change your mind.” Karen replied.

“Of course.” Oliver told her, taking a deep breath. Felicity’s hand squeezed his. They both knew that whatever she was going to tell them it wasn't going to change how they already felt about the boy.

Karen quickly grabbed a folder from her desk drawer and sat in front of them again.

“His birth name is Lucas Green, born on April 22nd, 2015, which makes him 4 years and just a month old now. His biological parents were not a couple, he was the result of a one-night stand, and for his first year of life he was continuously handed from one parent to the other for short periods of time.” Karen explained to them. “Just after his first birthday, the father died in a car accident, and the mother... Two days after the accident she disappeared, leaving a note behind, stating she didn’t know how to do this by herself, so... She left Lucas, alone, unattended in her apartment. The neighbors called the police after they heard Lucas crying for 12 hours straight.”

“Oh, my god.” Felicity whispered, one hand covering her lips in shock.

“Luckily, Lucas was too young to remember that and he was fine, everything considered. The couple didn’t have any relative alive, so, with the mother missing, the police brought Lucas to us and he was put into the system. We still don’t know where the mother is.” Karen glanced down at the paper in her hands. “After a few weeks, a couple adopted him. Just like the two of you, they wanted to have a baby but were unable to, so they adopted Lucas. He stayed with them for almost one year, then the couple found out they were going to have a baby of their own.” Karen took a deep breath. “They brought Lucas back to us.”

Oliver felt blood boil in his veins. “What? They had the fortune of having two miracles with them... And they rejected one?”

“Yes.” Karen replied sadly.

Oliver felt Felicity tremble next to him, making him wrap an arm around her shoulders, his hand running up and down her arm. To comfort her, and maybe to comfort himself too.

“Why would they do that?” Felicity whispered.

“They said that they never felt Lucas as theirs because they didn’t share the same blood... but their baby did.” Karen told them gently.

“Why did they adopt him in the first place?” Oliver asked.

“I don’t have an answer for that. Unfortunately, that’s not the first time it happened in this center, and I’m afraid it won’t be the last. We can't just leave them on the street, so we take them back and... the process starts over again.”

Felicity shook her head. “Bringing a child at home, taking care of him for almost a year, making him believe they loved him, and then... throwing him away like this. No wonder Lucas is afraid of being abandoned.”

Karen glanced down at the paper again, then met their eyes with a weird expression on her face. “He was with one more family after that.”

The look in Karen’s eyes unsettled him. He knew that whatever she was going to say was not good. He pulled Felicity closer and they gave strength to each other.

“What happened?” She whispered.

“When he was just over two years old, this couple adopted him.”

She showed them the picture of a couple with three kids. The man and woman were probably in their 40s, the kids looked around the ages of 3, 4 and 6, two boys and a girl. The woman was smiling, but it didn’t look sincere. The man had a stern expression, almost annoyed. The three kids looked sad.

“This,” Karen pointed at the boy to the left, “is Lucas.”

Oliver would have recognized him anyway. His blue eyes were unmistakable. He looked younger than now, barely 3 years old. He was way too skinny and pale, and just...

“He looks so sad.” Felicity cried, a few tears falling from her cheeks. Oliver rubbed her arms comfortingly, kissing her temple.

“He’s been through some things.” Karen told them. “Things I’m about to tell you. And I want you to tell me if they will change the way you see him now. I need to know if you still want to adopt him and take care of him.”

Felicity swallowed hard as she straightened up next to him. “Okay. Tell us.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Daniels adopted him just a month after he was brought back to us. They already adopted two children from our center, so we knew them, and they seemed fine. During the visits, our social worker started to notice changes in Lucas’s behavior, as well in the other two kids. Lucas seemed jumpy and as if he wasn’t eating much. Whenever the social worker asked the kids if they enjoyed staying with the Daniels, they avoided the question or answered with what she thought were fake ‘It’s nice’.”

Oliver dreaded what he was about to hear.

“That was a red flag for us. It can happen that one kid doesn't like the new place he has to live in, but three kids reacting the same way... That's a clear sign that something is very wrong. Just when we were about to intervene with a more thorough visit, they moved from the city. There was a lot of bureaucratic stuff that constantly delayed our visits to their new city, and we later found out that the Daniels paid a lot of money to keep us away from them.”

Felicity took a shaky breath next to him.

“What were they hiding?” Oliver asked.

“When we were finally able to visit them, they refused to let the social worker see the kids. We came back the next day with the police and they found the kids in their ‘room’ which was the basement. They were filthy, hadn’t washed for days, didn’t leave the room either, barely ate anything.”

Felicity started to cry, while Oliver suppressed the rage he felt.

“The police took the kids back to us and the couple was arrested. They got out in less than 24 hours after paying bail, and they tried to get the kids back. It didn't happen. They got a restraining order, instead. They have to stay 5 miles away from the kids and can't interact with them in any way.”

“Good.” Oliver said firmly.

“How were the kids?” Felicity asked nervously.

“Our doctors checked them out. The three were mainly malnourished and dehydrated. They all had some burning marks on their backs, caused by Mr. Daniels with cigarettes, without a specific reason. Lucas also had a gash on his shoulder, which he told us Mrs. Daniels inflicted him with a piece of glass after he accidentally broke a vase.”

Felicity was fully sobbing, not even trying to hold back. Oliver wasn’t too far with tears stinging in his eyes. With a deep breath, he forced himself to voice his next words.

“Is there more?”

Karen shook her head. “No. Lucas stayed with us for the last 5 months and seems to be doing better. Two couples adopted the other boy and girl, and from our lasts visits, they are doing better too. Sometimes they come here to see Lucas, and they all seem happier.”

Oliver nodded, unable to find the right words to say.

Karen stood and put a box of tissues on the coffee table in front of them. “I’ll give you two a moment alone.” The woman gently told them before leaving the room.

Oliver just held Felicity tightly against his chest as she cried.

He was angry, livid. How could people do something like that to children? How could they inflict pain, mental and physical pain to them? They were innocent. They needed to be protected, not hurt.

“They are monsters.” Felicity cried, her body shaking.

“I know.” Oliver rasped out.

“They were supposed to take care of them, not hurt them.” He ran his hands over her back. “His past is so heartbreaking, and the thought that people do those things, and sometimes even worse, it's... It's just disgusting.”

Oliver took a deep breath. “Whoever lays a hand on a child, deserves to suffer. I hope they will, and I’m not even sorry for saying that.”

Felicity pulled back slightly, looking up at him. Her eyes were red, and the tears didn’t seem to stop flowing down her cheeks. Oliver raised his hands to cup her cheeks, wiping away her tears with his thumbs as she tightly gripped his shirt.

“Do you think we can do this?” She asked. “Do you think we can be as supportive as he needs us to be? Because I know I want to be there for him, I don’t care what he’s been through- wait, no, I _do_ care, of course I care, I just meant-”

“I know what you meant to say.” Oliver reassured her.

Felicity sighed. “Do you think we can do this?”

“I know I want to be there for him too. What Karen just told us doesn’t change the way I see him. I think it just strengthens my want to show him that people can love unconditionally. That there is good in this world. That we can give him the life he deserves, a happy life.” Oliver smiled at Felicity. “I think we can love him.”

Felicity nodded. “He deserves it. He deserves to be happy and serene and just loved. He deserves a chance, one more chance at being loved, for real this time.”

Oliver smiled at her. He leaned close to her and placed his lips over hers in a soft kiss. When they pulled back, Oliver took a deep breath.

“Do you have any doubts? Or do we continue with this?” He asked.

“No doubts, but I think he probably has some PTSD, knowing everything he went through. But we will give him all the support he needs, right? We can give him that.”

“Of course we can. We’ll do what’s best for him.” He reassured her.

For a while, they just held each other, no need for words. After 10 minutes, there was a soft knock at the door before it opened slightly, and Karen looked in.

“Are you ready to talk?”

Oliver and Felicity looked at each other before looking back at her and nodded.

The woman took her seat again. “If you made a decision I'm here to listen. And if you need more time to think and talk about it, I understand. Take all the time you need.”

They entwined their fingers together.

“We want to adopt Lucas.” Felicity said without hesitation.

“He deserves one more chance at happiness and we want to provide it for him.” Oliver repeated Felicity’s earlier words.

Karen smiled. “I’m happy to hear that. Do you want to see him now? You can already tell him if you want.”

They immediately nodded. They weren’t going to waste another minute.

→

Karen led them to an area reserved only for the children and the staff. Through the open doors, they could see each room was very spacious, enough to fit in three or four beds, dressers, and desks with chairs. A few kids were in their beds, probably sick just like Lucas.

A man exited a room and greeted Karen.

“Dr. Jackson, how are the kids?” She asked him.

“Better than yesterday. Madison still has a fever, but it’s getting better. I think the others will be back to normal in less than two days, running around the place once again.” He informed her with a smile.

“That’s good. Mr. and Mrs. Queen would like to see Lucas. How is he feeling?”

“Just a little weak and has a running nose, but he’s fine. Earlier he couldn’t sleep, so we gave him a tablet to watch some cartoons.”

Karen nodded and thanked him before he left. They continued to follow the woman until they reached Lucas’s room. He was lying on his bed, tablet in hand, covers pulled up under his chin.

Oliver gently knocked on the door, catching Lucas’s attention. He turned toward them, his eyes bloodshot and his nose red. He looked so small and fragile.

Felicity felt a wave of protectiveness overcome her.

“Hey, Lucas.” She whispered as she walked closer to him.

“You came back.” He said looking between her and Oliver.

“Of course we did.” Oliver told him with a smile. “We told you we were going to visit again.”

Lucas put the tablet on the bed and made to get up but was clearly struggling, so Felicity quickened her steps and was by his side in a second.

“Stay down, it’s okay.” Her hands gently kept him on the bed, but he didn’t put up much of a fight. She ran her hand through his hair as she sat next to him. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” He told them sniffling.

Oliver stepped closer and crouched next to the bed. “Then you should stay in bed and rest some more. And after eating a good meal, you’ll feel better.” He winked at the boy.

Lucas smiled. “Okay.” He noticed Karen behind them and waved at her. “Hi.”

“Hello to you, Lucas.” She smiled at him. “Oliver and Felicity wanted to talk to you about something... if you’re up to it.”

He frowned looking at them. “Talk what?”

Felicity glanced at Oliver and he nodded reassuringly at her. She took Lucas’s hand in hers and smiled at him.

“Lucas... we really like spending our time with you. And we missed you a lot this week when we didn’t visit.”

“I missed you too.” He murmured, looking between them almost shyly.

Felicity smiled. “We wanted... I mean, if you would like that, we wanted to ask you...”

The words were on the tip of her tongue, begging to be spoken, but, suddenly, she felt her throat tighten. They had waited years to become parents, and even if this wasn’t how they first imagined it, their wish was about to come true. Saying the words was going to make it real.

Sensing her nervousness, Oliver placed his hand over Felicity’s and Lucas’s entwined hands.

“Lucas, what Felicity is trying to say, is that we would really like to adopt you.” Oliver told him with a smile.

His eyes looked from one to the other, a little frown forming between his eyebrows. “Like... When I go home with you, and you become my mommy and daddy?” He whispered.

His words brought tears to Felicity’s eyes and she could only nod.

“If you want to, yes.” Oliver continued, his voice trembling a little.

For ten full seconds, Lucas didn’t say anything. He didn’t move, he didn’t blink, he barely breathed. Then his eyes widened, and he gasped in a breath, scrambling to get out of the covers as he launched himself at Felicity.

She wrapped her arms around him, easily catching him, and held him close to her as he hid his face in her neck, his body slightly shaking against hers.

“Is that a yes?” She asked.

A tiny sob escaped his lips as he nodded against her shoulder, his arms tightening around her neck.

“Oh, Lucas... you don’t have to cry.” She said, her words losing their meaning as she was crying too.

Oliver sat on the bed next to them and wrapped his arms around them both, Lucas between them, safe and protected.

Felicity had no idea for how long they sat there, just holding each other.

When he calmed down, Lucas pulled back slightly, sitting on Felicity’s legs and wiping away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Sorry.” He sniffled.

Oliver cupped his cheek and ran his thumb in a soothing motion. “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize.”

Lucas reached out for him and Oliver picked him up, sitting him on his legs as Lucas hugged him too. Felicity couldn’t help but run a gentle hand over his back.

“So you are okay coming home with us?” Oliver checked again.

Lucas nodded again. “Yes. I like when you visit.”

Karen softly cleared her throat. “I’ll start the documents then. It might take a few days before you can actually bring him home.”

They both nodded.

“Okay.” Felicity looked at the child. “We’ll visit in the meantime.”

Lucas’s smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.

→

Oliver decided to take 2 weeks of leave from Queen Consolidated. His sister, fully capable of running the company after their parents died in the same boat accident that left Oliver on Lian Yu, was happy to substitute him while he stayed at home with his family. After the 2 weeks, he was going to work only the mornings, to get Lucas used to him not being home all the time. And when the time felt right and they were sure that the boy wasn’t going to think Oliver was abandoning him, he was going to go back to his usual schedule.

Felicity could work from home on her projects for the company, so taking care of Lucas wasn’t going to be a problem.

And, as they promised, Oliver and Felicity visited for the next four days. Every time, Lucas impatiently waited for their arrival and his eyes lit up every time he saw them walking up to him.

When the day finally came, Oliver and Felicity were a bundle of nerves. They had everything ready, the bedroom, the car seat, everything, but they couldn’t shake the fear that something could go wrong.

They were in Karen’s office and they just finished talking to the consultant. She told them that Lucas was probably going to behave a little differently at the beginning because at the center he felt safe, but outside everything was different to him. She told them that he was going to feel overwhelmed in a new house, with new stuff and a new family. She told them he might think he was back with his previous families and had to follow their rules. She told them that he might ask them to take him back to the center.

The last two things made them anxious more than anything else.

But the woman reassured them that, according to their talks, Lucas felt at ease with them, he felt safe. He trusted them.

With those final words, the woman left them alone with their thoughts.

She felt Oliver turn to her and grab her left hand, his thumb running over her wedding band.

“We’re here.” He whispered.

Felicity looked at him and saw his eyes were full of emotion. “We’re here.”

They were still staring at each other when the door opened again, and they immediately stood. Lucas was standing at the door, a backpack on his shoulders. He waved at them, a small nervous smile on his lips.

“Hi, Lucas.” Felicity greeted him.

“Hi.”

His eyes darted between Oliver and Felicity a few times, before he looked up at Karen and motioned for her to lean down so he could speak in her ear. They watched as the woman listened to him before smiling.

“That, Lucas, is something you have to ask _them_.” She gently told him.

The kid glanced at them again and took two hesitant steps forward, his hands fidgeting nervously. “What do I call you?”

_Mommy and daddy._

The words were simple. But they both knew it was way too soon for that. He needed to get to know them, he needed to trust them completely, he needed to feel safe with them. He needed to love them. And they needed to earn it.

At their silent responses, Lucas continued. “Mr. Oliv-”

“No.” Oliver gently interrupted him. “No, no Mr. or Mrs. You don’t have to call us that.”

Felicity stepped closer and kneeled on the floor in front of him, her hands resting on his shoulders. “What do _you_ want to call us?”

He bit his lip as he thought. Then looked up at them unsure. “Oliver and Felicity?”

She smiled. “Oliver and Felicity is fine.”

Felicity stood again and held out her hand. “Do you want to go... to go home?” She asked him shakily.

Lucas took her hand and nodded.

Oliver grabbed the bag Karen passed him. “These are his belongings. Clothes, shoes, and a few toys. In the backpack, he has his beloved coloring books and pencils.” She smiled at the boy.

“Thank you.” Oliver told her. “For everything.”

“I am the one thanking you. Lucas deserves to be taken care of and to be loved. I’m sure you two can give him that.”

“We will.” Felicity replied.

“I wish you good luck. I hope you can all be happy.” Karen told them with a smile before stepping to the side to let them pass.

Felicity looked down at Lucas and squeezed his hand.

“Let’s go home.”

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have Lucas's backstory. Yes, it was sad, and there will be more sad situations in the next chapters, but I promise a happy ending!
> 
> Little note. Lucas's birth date is April 22nd, 2015. #Remember320


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your wonderful comments! I really appreciate them.
> 
> Here's a new chapter for you!
> 
> (I really need a distraction after 7.21. That was a mess, unfortunately. And I'm in denial. Next week is not Emily's last episode. Nope.)

The drive back home was mostly silent. Lucas was in his car seat, looking out of the window, but a small smile was on his lips. Oliver and Felicity couldn’t help but glancing at him every few seconds, just to make sure he was really there.

Oliver parked the car and they got out. He grabbed the bag and the backpack from the backseat while Felicity unbuckled Lucas and helped him out of the car.

He looked up at the house with curious eyes. They followed him slowly, giving him time to take in everything until he reached the three steps before the door, where he stopped. Lucas looked up at them unsure.

“It’s okay, honey.” The endearment falling from Felicity’s lips as if it was the easiest word she had ever spoken.

She held out her hand again and he took it. They walked to the door and she unlocked it, guiding him in. He took a few steps, looking around.

“Welcome home, Lucas.” Oliver spoke next to them.

The boy looked at him with a timid smile.

“Do you want to see the whole house?” Felicity asked him with a squeeze of her hand. He just nodded.

They slowly made their way through the living room, showed him the kitchen, the laundry and the bathroom, even Oliver’s gym, then made their way upstairs. They showed him the second bathroom and Felicity’s study, their bedroom and finally his room.

They had painted the walls in light green, the bed was in the middle of the room, a small walk-in closet to the left, a desk on the right. Against the wall next to the door there were empty shelves where they planned to put his toys. Only a baseball glove, bat and ball sat there, waiting to be used.

Lucas let go of her hand and took a few steps inside, looking at everything. Felicity glanced at Oliver and, after he put the bags on the floor, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I know there isn’t much,” she started, “but we thought you might want to choose your own toys and other things to fill the room and make it yours.”

“We wanted it to be how _you_ wanted it.” Oliver added. “We were thinking of taking you to the mall tomorrow so you can choose what you like.”

Lucas turned around and looked at them. “I’ve never been at the mall.”

“Really?” Felicity asked, though considering his past it shouldn’t have surprised her that much.

Lucas shook his head.

“Well, we have to fix this.” Oliver declared. “Tomorrow we’ll take you to the mall.”

“Okay.” Lucas said.

He looked at the wall next to them, where a jersey was put on display. They followed his line of sight.

“That’s a baseball jersey. I remember you told us you like baseball, so I thought...” Oliver hesitated, but when Felicity squeezed his hand, he seemed to have found the strength to continue. “I thought you might like that, along with the glove and the bat.”

“I like them, and the shirt.” He replied nodding. “It’s blue. I like blue.”

“Yeah, well... I chose that one because there’s ‘Smoak’ on it, and...”

“It’s kind of a running joke between us,” Felicity explained, “because Smoak is my last name, but I don’t watch sports, so... it’s kinda funny.”

Lucas smiled. “I liked watching the other kids play baseball.”

Oliver quickly glanced at her then at the boy again. “Well, I can teach you if you want.”

Felicity watched as her husband’s eyes sparkled at the idea.

“Yeah?” Lucas’s eyes found that spark too.

“Yes, I would love to teach you. We have a garden on the back that we haven’t shown you yet.” Oliver said excitedly.

“Or maybe we can go to the park this weekend.” Felicity proposed. “It’s way bigger than our garden, more space to play freely.”

“The park?” Lucas’s eyes widened.

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “We can do whatever you want.”

“They never took me to the park.” He whispered sadly.

“Then it’s decided.” Oliver stated, before Lucas could fall back into one of those moments the consultant told them about. “We’ll go to the park and I’ll teach you how to play baseball.”

Lucas smiled a little. “Okay.”

For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other, enjoying the moment. They got interrupted by Oliver’s phone beeping with a text.

“It’s my sister.” Oliver glanced at Felicity. “I think we should wait to... you know...”

They wanted to wait before introducing Lucas to other people, even if it was their family. They didn’t want to overwhelm him right away, he needed to get to know the two of them first, trust that they weren’t going to expose him to threats and dangers.

“Yeah.” Felicity immediately agreed. She saw him send a quick text back, explaining their need to wait, and noticed the hour. “It’s almost dinner time.” She announced, looking at Lucas. “What would you like to eat?”

The boy shrugged.

Oliver took a step closer to him, holding out his hand. “Let’s see what we have that you like, okay?”

Lucas took his hand and nodded. “Yes.”

→

He chose chicken nuggets and Felicity insisted on some fries to the side, receiving a small glare from Oliver who wanted to make them eat healthy vegetables instead. In the end, he gave up and cooked the fries, knowing that Lucas was going to like the fries more than the veggies.

As they cooked, Lucas sat at the counter coloring his book, and when dinner was ready, he plopped down from the stool and silently went to the sink to wash his hands. Felicity was once again impressed by how well educated he was, they really took care of the children at the center.

The sink was too high for him to reach, but he didn’t ask for their help, he just tried to reach it, unsuccessfully.

“Wait.” Oliver stepped closer to him and wrapped an arm around the kid’s waist, hoisting him up so he could wash his hands.

“I’ll add a step on the list of things we have to buy tomorrow.” Felicity said while stealing a fry from her husband's plate.

“Yeah, so you, little man, can wash your hands whenever you need to.” Oliver said, putting him down and passing him a towel.

“Thank you.” Lucas told him with a small smile, and Oliver couldn’t help but ruffle his dark hair. “Come on, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Oliver walked to the counter and helped Felicity with the plates, but Lucas stopped in the middle of the room, looking around.

“Is something wrong, Lucas?” Felicity asked him, worried that they were forgetting about something.

“Where is the kids’ table?” He asked.

Felicity looked at Oliver and they both frowned. Maybe he was still thinking about his time at the center where he ate with the other kids.

“You’re going to sit with us.” Oliver indicated the table, set for three.

“But that’s the adults’ table.” He insisted quietly. “Kids are not allowed at the adults’ table.”

 _That_ had nothing to do with the center. That was what he’d been told by the Daniels, they were sure of it.

Felicity put the plates on the table and walked to Lucas. “Honey, there is no kids’ table here. And there is no adults’ table. It’s only... a table. A table where we all sit together, like... like a family. Okay?”

His mouth opened a bit in shock. “Really?”

“Yes, Lucas.” Oliver confirmed. “And you know what?” He rearranged the plates on the table and pulled out a chair. “You’re going to sit here, at the head of the table, between us.”

The boy’s eyes widened, and he took two hesitant steps toward the chair. Felicity put a hand between his shoulder blades and gently encouraged him to sit. Once he was sure he could sit there, Lucas sat down, and Oliver pulled the chair closer to the table.

Oliver and Felicity sat on their chairs and started to eat. Lucas followed their example and grabbed his fork, gingerly taking a bite of his food. They gave him a minute to taste it, and when he started to eat more hungrily, clearly liking it, they both smiled.

He also used the fork to eat the fries, but wanting to make him more at ease, Felicity tried to catch his attention. “You know, Lucas... In this house, we like to eat fries without the fork.” She grabbed some of her fries with her hand and popped them in her mouth, winking at Lucas in the process.

The child giggled and after Oliver did the same, Lucas giggled some more and used his hands.

“Are they good?” Oliver asked him and Lucas nodded. “Do you want some sauce? Mayo, ketchup...?”

He shook his head vigorously. “I don’t like sauces.”

“Noted.”

They went back to eat and when Lucas finished his plate, he put the fork down.

“Do you want some more?” Felicity asked him, pulling another plate with extra chicken nuggets and fries near him.

He looked at it as if he wanted to eat all of that, but he shook his head.

Oliver glanced at Felicity, worried expressions on both of their faces. They remembered what Karen told them about his previous family, that they didn’t feed him much. He probably thought there was a limit to the food he was allowed to eat.

“Lucas,” Oliver said, “if you’re still hungry you can eat those.”

The child licked his lips but didn’t move. Felicity grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it. “If what is in your plate it’s not enough, you just have to tell us and we’ll make sure to give you some more, okay? We will _never_ deny you food or water or anything you need.”

Lucas bit his lower lip before looking at them again. “Can I eat only the fries?”

“The fries and one nugget.” Oliver negotiated.

The boy nodded, and with a smile, he grabbed the plate and started to eat again.

Oliver and Felicity smiled at the small victory.

→

While they cleaned up the table and washed the dishes, Lucas continued to color his book in silence.

“Do you think we should make him talk more?” Felicity asked Oliver.

He sighed. “I think we should let him settle a little. It’s going pretty well for now, maybe he’ll just start to talk more freely on his own when the time is right.”

Felicity nodded. “You’re probably right.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m right? I should record this moment.” He said around a smile.

She playfully hit his chest and laughed, just when they heard Lucas yawn. They turned to look at him as he rubbed his eyes.

“Are you tired, sweetie?” Felicity asked him, getting closer to the counter.

“A little.”

“Do you want to go to bed?” Oliver asked and Lucas nodded. “Okay.”

They made their way upstairs and, while Oliver helped him in the bathroom, Felicity prepared the bed.

“Here we are.” Oliver announced as they entered the room.

“Did you brush your teeth?” She asked with a fake stern face, which made Lucas giggle.

“Yes.”

“Good boy.” She smiled at him.

Oliver went to the closet, where they already put what clothes Lucas had with him. “Ready for your pj’s?”

Lucas nodded and Felicity helped him to take off his shirt. He turned to look at Oliver, waiting for his sleeping clothes, and Felicity was faced directly with his back. Her heart ached at the sight. At least 10 small circular burn marks littered his shoulders and back. A fine pink line of 5 inches ran diagonally from his right shoulder to the center of his back.

What person on their right mind could ever do something like that to a little boy?

She felt tears spring to her eyes as she unconsciously placed a gentle hand over the marks. Lucas turned his head to look at her, his eyebrows raised in silent question.

“Does it hurt?” Felicity whispered.

He shook his head no, just as Oliver went to stand next to her, his eyes trained on the kid’s back. Felicity kneeled in front of him, so they were at eye-level and cupped his cheeks.

“Lucas... I want you to know that me and Oliver, we will make sure to protect you from the bad things of this world. _Always_.” Felicity whispered to him. “We don’t want to see you hurt. And... if you ever want to talk, about anything, you can tell us.”

He slowly nodded. “Okay.”

Before she thought too much about it, she placed her arms around him in a gentle hug, and she was glad when he hugged her back. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was faced with Oliver’s murderous expression. She knew how much he despised abusers and seeing signs of pain on Lucas, on _their son_ , was probably killing him. Just like it was killing her.

When she let go of the child, Oliver masked his emotions and covered them with a small but sincere smile as Lucas turned to him. As he stared up at him, the boy hesitantly opened his arms, silently asking for a hug from Oliver too.

Oliver’s smile widened as he relaxed, and he crouched on the floor to wrap his arms around Lucas. “We will take care of you. I promise.”

The boy nodded against his shoulder. When a shiver ran down his body, Oliver pulled away and helped him put on his pj’s as Felicity took his clothes and put them aside. When Lucas was ready, he laid on the bed, Felicity pulled the covers up and sat next to him. “Are you cold? Do you need some extra blanket?”

He shook his head. “I’m good.”

“Alright.”

“We got you a nightlight.” Oliver said as he plugged it in on the other side of the room. “So it won’t be too dark in here.” He turned off the main lights.

“Is that okay?” Felicity asked. “Is it enough light?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Lucas said, and, from the look he was giving them, he really appreciated the light.

Felicity ran a hand through his hair as he yawned. “Do you want us to stay here while you fall asleep?” He shook his head no. “Okay.”

Oliver approached him on the other side of the bed.

“Thank you.” Lucas repeated. “For taking me home with you.”

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to thank us.” Felicity told him.

“We really like having you around.” Oliver smiled at him. “So, really, _we_ should be thanking _you_.”

In the end, _he_ was making their wish come true.

Lucas yawned again and they decided to let him rest.

Felicity leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Night.” He whispered back.

“If you need us, we’re in the room in front of yours.” Oliver reminded him.

“Okay.”

With some effort, Felicity stood from the bed, and with Oliver she walked to the door. “Do you want it closed or we leave it open?”

He shrugged and they smiled at him.

“I’ll leave it open then.” Oliver informed him.

“Goodnight, Lucas.” They said one more time, earning a small smile.

They left the room and walked to their own bedroom. They silently changed their clothes and got ready to go to bed, too tired after the day’s events to even pretend to stay up some more time. As they laid on the bed, they heard Lucas turning around under the covers for almost half an hour.

“Should we check on him?” Felicity whispered to her husband.

He ran a comforting hand over her back, where she laid against his side. “I really want to, but I don’t want to overwhelm him. It’s already a lot to take in, maybe if we give him a little space it might be easier for him to settle on his own terms.”

She sighed. “I just want to make sure he’s comfortable in there all alone. He shared a room with other kids back at the center and in that hell that was his previous ‘home’. He’s not used to being alone at night.”

“I know. We give him another 15 minutes, then we go check on him, okay?” Oliver proposed and she nodded.

They listened carefully to the sounds coming from the other room as Lucas slowly stopped moving around, and they guessed he finally fell asleep. They waited just a little more, to make sure he wasn’t moving again.

“I really want to go check on him now.” Felicity repeated.

Her words weren’t even out of her mouth that Oliver was already nodding. “Yeah, me too.”

They silently made their way to the room in front of theirs. Felicity leaned against the doorframe, and Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist, his head propped on her shoulder as they watched Lucas sleeping. He was lying on his side, his face relaxed, soft and deep breaths the only sounds coming from him.

“Look at him.” She whispered. “He looks so peaceful.”

“Yeah.” Oliver agreed. “Can you believe he’s our son?”

“Our son. It feels amazing saying that.”

“I know.” He sighed. “It makes me so happy.”

“Me too.” Felicity glanced up at him. “I love you.”

Oliver softly kissed her and smiled. “I love you too.”

They lost track of the time they stood there, just enjoying the feeling of knowing that Lucas was their son.

When Felicity started to lean heavily against Oliver, her eyelids falling shut, he tightened his hold on her and kissed the side of her head.

“Let’s go to bed. He’ll still be here tomorrow morning.”

His words caused a smile to appear on her face. “He’ll be here.”

→

They woke up early, and after checking on Lucas, who was still asleep, they decided to get some work done for QC. So, they worked for a couple of hours, Oliver on some new contract and Felicity on her codes. Just after 9:15 they heard movement from upstairs.

Oliver gave Felicity a loving kiss. “I’ll go check on him.”

She smiled at him. “I can’t wait to spend the entire day with him.”

He chuckled. “I know, me too.”

With what he guessed was a dopey smile, he made his way upstairs. He approached Lucas’s room and was surprised to see the bed was already made. He took a step closer, stopping at the threshold, and noticed the boy had his back to him, already dressed for the day, and was trying on the baseball glove.

“We’ll get one that will fit your hand.” Oliver said.

Lucas probably didn’t hear him enter the room because he turned around and took a step back, the glove dropping from his hands.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Oliver told him apologetically. He needed to remember to be more careful, knowing that the boy wasn’t feeling safe yet in his new home.

Lucas quickly picked up the glove and put it back on the shelve, taking a step back from it. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.

Oliver’s heart seized at the worried look on Lucas’s face. He looked as if he got caught doing something wrong. “Hey, it’s okay.” Oliver walked closer to him and crouched down, speaking softly to him. “This is your home now. It’s your room, you can do whatever you want. In the whole house, you can do and touch whatever you want without asking permission, okay?”

Lucas just stared at him, studying him. Eventually, he nodded his head and relaxed a bit.

“Except for knives.” Oliver added as he thought. “Don’t touch the knives, you could get hurt with them and we don’t want that.”

A small smile appeared on the kid’s face. “I know. Knives are dangerous.”

“Yeah.” Oliver agreed. He held out his hand as he stood. “Want to get your breakfast?” Lucas took his hand and nodded. “What do you like?” He asked as they made their way downstairs.

“I always eat cereals with milk.”

Oliver faltered a bit. “I- I’m sorry, Lucas, we have milk, but we don’t have cereals.” Neither he nor Felicity ever ate them, so they didn’t buy them. They should have thought a four-year-old was going to ask them cereals.

“Okay, I can drink the milk.” Lucas shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

They reached the living room and walked toward the kitchen. “What? No, I can’t let you drink the milk and not give you anything to eat. I can make you something. This morning I made waffles for me and Felicity, but I can make you pancakes, or even omelets, scrambled eggs, just say it and I’ll make it, whatever you want.”

He thought for a second, then looked up at him hopefully. “I like waffles.”

Oliver smiled. “Perfect. Then they’re already made, I just need to cook them, so it’ll take me just a few minutes but…” He looked at Felicity where she sat at the counter, still working on her laptop. “You can keep us company in the meantime.”

Felicity looked up at them and smiled widely, closing the laptop and pushing it aside, focusing on them. “Hi, Lucas.”

He awkwardly waved at her with a smile, before stepping closer. Felicity pulled out the stool for him and helped him to sit on it.

“How did you sleep?” She asked as Oliver started on the waffles.

“Good.”

“Was the bed comfortable?” She checked. “We bought the one the man at the store told us was the best, but he seemed kind of bored and like he just wanted to sell whatever he was able to, without caring if the bed was actually comfortable or not. I mean, we tried to sit on that, and it seemed pretty comfy, but you can’t be sure about it until you sleep on it, you know-”

“Felicity, honey…” Oliver gently interrupted her as he noticed Lucas giggling softly.

“I’m babbling again, aren’t I?”

“Yep.” He smiled at her.

She looked back at Lucas. “I’m sorry, I tend to do that.”

“You talk a lot.” He agreed.

“Is that a problem?” She asked seriously, worried that it might bother him.

Lucas shook his head. “It’s funny.”

Oliver watched them smile at each other and, with a smile of his own, he continued his work on the waffles.

“Anyway… Was the bed okay?” Felicity asked him again.

He nodded. “Yes, I slept well.”

“Good. And look at you.” She indicated his jeans and button-down shirt. “All dressed up, ready for our day.” He smiled at her.

“Yes, he is.” Oliver put the two waffles on the plate to let them cool a bit. “Our little man was already dressed when I went upstairs. And he made his bed too.”

Felicity looked at him, surprised and impressed. “You did?”

The boy nodded, his smile slowly vanishing from his face. “Mrs. Daniels always said to not leave the room if the bed was not made. I didn’t know if…”

If he had to do it here too.

Turning off the stove, Oliver quickly walked to them, just when Felicity grabbed Lucas’s hand. “You didn’t have to do that, honey. Me or Oliver can make it for you. It’s not a job you should do for a few more years, so enjoy that freedom while you still can.” She told him with a smile and a wink, trying to defuse the situation.

He smiled a little and nodded. Oliver placed the plate in front of him, along with a glass of warm milk. “Here you go. I hope you like them.”

Lucas didn’t waste time and took a big bite. He chewed for a few seconds, his eyes widened, and he immediately tried to take another bite.

“Woah, easy, tiger.” Oliver chuckled. “Don’t choke on that.”

“No one is going to steal it from you.” Felicity reassured him.

He gave them a sheepish smile as he ate more slowly. “This is awesome.”

Oliver’s smile widened. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Lucas finished his breakfast in just a few minutes and after cleaning up, they made their way to the mall. They spent a good amount of time choosing new clothes for the boy. At first, he was hesitant, especially when they showed him something he didn’t like, but slowly he found his courage and simply told them if he liked them or not. Oliver and Felicity just smiled every time. The same thing happened when they bought food and snacks for him.

After a quick, unhealthy lunch -much to Oliver’s chagrin,- they made their way to the toys’ store. Immediately, Lucas’s eyes widened at the great vastity of selection. He looked as if he wanted to take everything home with him, but at the same time he seemed lost and unsure.

Oliver put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Go.” He said with a smile. “Get whatever you like.”

Lucas looked between Oliver and Felicity a few times. “Can I?”

“Of course.” Felicity nodded. “That’s the reason why we’re here, so you can pick what you want.”

Hesitantly, the kid slowly walked in front of them, carefully eyeing everything on the shelves. They followed him a few steps behind, one arm wrapped around each other as they let him take his time. In the first two aisles he didn’t choose anything, but as he rounded the third, he came to a stop. They watched with a smile as Lucas stepped closer to the shelf and carefully picked up a small green car.

It wasn’t one of those expensive, remote-controlled cars, it was a simple toy, but he held it in his hands as if it was the most precious thing in the store. He turned it around a few times inspecting it, and when he was sure of his choice, he turned to them and held out the toy for them to see.

“I like this.” Lucas told them.

“That’s good.” Felicity nodded, smiling. “It’s a very nice car.”

“Yes, it is.” Oliver agreed. “What else would you like to buy?” He asked, motioning the rest of the store.

Lucas just stared at them. “I can have more?” He whispered unbelievingly.

“Of course, buddy.” Oliver smiled at him. “We can’t let you play with only one toy.”

Felicity ran her hand through Lucas’s hair. “Remember, we have to fill all those shelves in your room. And we want to give you everything you want.”

For a moment, the boy closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he went to wrap his arms around Felicity’s waist in a hug. It made them chuckle and Felicity couldn’t help but place her hands on his shoulders and keep him close. When he pulled away, Lucas did the same with Oliver.

“Thank you.” He said, barely above a whisper.

“We just want to see you happy, Lucas.” Felicity assured him.

“And, no matter if you’ve been with us for less than a day, we already care about you. A lot.” Oliver softly spoke.

He looked up at them and nodded in understanding.

“Are you ready to look for more toys now?” Oliver asked with a smile and Lucas smiled back.

“Yes.”

→

In the end, they bought cars, trucks, Legos, coloring books, cars’ tracks, play tool sets, a baseball glove that fit his small hand, and many other toys. They also bought a bike and a basketball hoop, which they were going to teach him how to use when the weather got warmer in a few weeks.

When they went back home, they filled every shelf and even had to put some things in the closet because they were so many. But Oliver and Felicity didn’t care about that or how much they spent. Lucas was excited to have all those new things, and that was what mattered to them.

After finishing that, they put Lucas to sleep for an afternoon nap. As he rested in his room, Oliver and Felicity were lying on the couch, arms wrapped around each other, a movie playing on the tv, which they weren’t even watching. They were too focused on thinking about their morning with Lucas to care about what was on tv.

“Can you believe we have a son?” Felicity quietly asked him.

Oliver shook his head. “It feels surreal.”

“I know it’s not how we first imagined it. We planned for a baby and we got a four-year-old, but…” She took a deep breath. “After everything we… we lost-”

Her breath hitched and Oliver tightened his hold on her, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

“Unfortunately, we can’t change the past.” He whispered to her. “It hurts to say it, but maybe this is how it was supposed to be. Maybe we needed to go through that so we could adopt Lucas.”

“I’m glad we adopted him.” Felicity told him for the umpteenth time. “I can’t even imagine how he must have felt in that horrible place.” She shuddered at the thought. “And I don’t mean the center, that seemed pretty amazing.”

Oliver nodded. “I know. It was the Daniels. Those bastards really fucked up with his mind. We need to be careful with him.” He looked down at her. “This morning when I went to wake him up, he was looking at the baseball glove we left in his room, I accidentally scared him, and he thought I caught him doing something wrong and kept apologizing.”

Felicity sighed. “At the mall, when you went to ask the clerk about the bike, I saw him shivering. When I asked him if he was cold, he just shrugged. I gave him the jacket we just bought, and when I touched him, he was freezing. He wasn’t going to say anything about it, I could see it in his eyes.”

“He’s not used to ask for help or simple things.” Oliver noted.

“Or maybe he asked them, but the response wasn’t good.” Felicity’s voice shook. “He doubts every action he makes, thinking it’s wrong and will end with a punishment or pain. It seems they taught him all that. What kind of people try to raise a child making them suffer like that?”

“Monsters.” Oliver whispered. He fucking hated abusers.

Felicity sighed. “They willingly adopted three kids, not one, _three kids_ and treated them like they were nothing. And the previous family? If I knew that not sharing the same blood was going to be a problem, I would have never adopted him. They-”

The wooden floor creaked behind them and they sat up on the couch. They saw Lucas peering through the open door, only the top of his head was visible, his body hidden behind the wall. When he saw them noticing him, his eyes widened and he let out a small gasp before scrambling away, running up the stairs.

“Lucas, wait…” Felicity said, both her and Oliver standing up to follow the child. With her heart in her throat, she took the steps two at a time.

_Why did I phrase it like that? If he heard only the last thing I said-_

“He didn’t.” Oliver said, next to her, a comforting hand falling on her back. “I could barely hear you and the tv was on, he couldn’t have heard you. And you didn’t mean it like that.”

She didn’t have time to respond to him, they were in front of Lucas’s room and it was empty. “Lucas?” She called him frantically. She even looked under the bed, but he wasn’t there.

“Lucas, where are you?” Oliver asked, his heart beating faster too.

They were about to turn around to look in the other rooms, when the closet door opened a slit, and they saw him peering through it.

Felicity’s heart seized. He looked scared.

Oliver carefully stepped closer to him, as Felicity stood frozen at the door.

“Hey…” He opened the closet all the way. “What are you doing in here?” He asked softly, holding out his hand. Lucas hesitated a moment before taking it, and Oliver helped him to get out.

“We thought you were sleeping…” Felicity tentatively started to talk to him.

“Not tired. I’m sorry.” Lucas replied in a small voice, looking down at the floor.

Felicity finally found the strength to walk and she kneeled in front of him. “It’s okay, Lucas. You don’t have to apologize.”

He looked up at her and she immediately knew he didn’t hear what she said about the adoption.

“I was looking for you, but I didn’t see you anywhere. I heard the tv, so I looked in the living room.” He explained.

“You didn’t see us on the couch?” Oliver asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head. “And didn’t hear us talking?” Another shake of his head.

Oliver glanced at Felicity and she relaxed. The worry he might have misunderstood her words disappeared completely.

“I didn’t want to get you angry because I was looking around.”

And just like that, another kind of worry invaded her. “It’s alright, Lucas.” Felicity reassured him. “You did nothing wrong.”

Oliver ran his hand over the kid’s back. “I already told you this morning. This is your home now, you can do whatever you want. You can go wherever you want, no room is off limits.”

“You don’t have to be afraid in here.” Felicity reassured him. “And you can ask us anything, we won’t get angry, I promise.”

Lucas seemed to relax a bit, but he still wasn’t entirely convinced. The walls he had built around himself still up.

Felicity glanced at Oliver, and he gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “Do you want to watch some tv with us?”

Lucas looked up at him. “I can watch tv?”

“Of course you can.” Oliver confirmed. “Not for too many hours a day, but yes, you can.”

His eyes widened. “More than once a week?” He asked hopefully.

Felicity ran her hands over his arms. “You can watch it any day, honey.”

Both Oliver and Felicity knew that at the center they let the kids watch tv almost every day, so his question was related to what the Daniels had taught him. Who knew what else they told him he couldn’t do?

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yes, the blue jersey with Smoak on it is the one Stephen gave to Emily. I just love that.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you for leaving comments and kudos, they are really appreciated!
> 
> Here's another chapter!

The next two days went by rather smoothly. He mostly played with his new toys, sometimes with them, other times alone, but either way, he looked serene and at ease. He also started to talk more freely, just a few more words. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

He liked to talk about Nate and Lizzie, his brother and sister when he was with the Daniels. They needed to figure out a way to get in touch with the families that adopted them, maybe it was going to make Lucas happy to see them again.

Other than that, everything was as normal as it could be. One evening though, they were having dinner, Oliver had made his famous chili for himself and Felicity, Lucas told him it smelled good, and Oliver said he could try it if he wanted. So, as they were sitting at the table, Felicity kept an eye on the boy, to make sure he liked it. After she saw him chewing the same bite for a while, she knew he didn’t, even if he wasn’t saying anything. Felicity glanced at Oliver, and he had noticed too.

She placed a hand on the boy’s arm to catch his attention. “You don’t like it, sweetie?”

Before he had the chance to reply, Oliver stood and went to the fridge. “It’s... I’m sure we have something else in here that you can eat. I should have-”

Lucas’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No! I’ll eat, I promise I’ll eat!” He grabbed the fork and took another bite, quickly chewing it. Tears formed in his eyes. Before Lucas could take one more bite, Felicity tried to take his fork away from him.

“Hey, hey, stop.” She told him gently. “Don’t eat that if you don’t like it. You’ll just get sick.” He let go of the fork, but his eyes continued to dart to Oliver, who stood frozen at the fridge.

“Here.” Felicity grabbed an empty plate and brought it close to him. “It’s okay, just spit it out.”

He hesitated but then he did as she said. She wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at him. “See? It’s not a big deal.”

“I’m sorry, buddy.” Oliver mumbled from his spot, and Lucas glanced at him. “I should have known you weren’t going to like it and made something else for you. I… I can still make whatever you want, just name it and I’ll make it.”

Oliver felt guilty about it, she could read it in his eyes. He was usually in charge of the kitchen, so making something that got this reaction from Lucas must have been hard for him to see, even if she guessed something more was hiding behind the kid’s reaction.

“I’m sorry I don’t like it.” The child whispered.

In two long strides, Oliver was next to his chair. “Hey, no, it’s okay. _I_ am sorry.” He placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder and made him look back at him. “What do you want? I have veggies, pasta, some more chicken nuggets, last night’s pizza…”

“I liked your pizza.” He said quietly.

When Oliver went to re-heat his homemade pizza, Felicity wrapped an arm around Lucas’s back, and pulled him closer.

“Honey, if you don’t like something, you just need to tell us, okay? We don’t want to force you to eat anything you don’t want to.”

The boy looked taken aback by that, but he just nodded. When Oliver came back with his plate, he devoured it in minutes, bringing a small smile on her husband’s face, glad that their son at least enjoyed that food.

→

Nothing in particular happened after that, until his fifth night with them.

Felicity woke up in the middle of the night, her throat dry. She knew that she wasn’t going to fall back asleep until she drank something, so with a sigh, she disentangled from Oliver and pushed back the covers. He was immediately awake.

“You alright?” He asked sleepily.

“Yeah, just thirsty. Don’t worry.” She whispered to him and leaned down to quickly kiss him. “I’ll grab a glass of water, and I’ll be right back.”

“’Kay.” Oliver mumbled, hugging her pillow.

She chuckled to herself and got up from the bed. Felicity went downstairs on auto-pilot, drank her water and made her way upstairs again. Before going back to her bedroom, she decided to check on Lucas. She quietly looked inside his room, illuminated by the nightlight they always left on, and saw the rumpled sheets of his empty bed. With a frown she stepped into the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Felicity was about to call out for him when she heard a tiny sob coming from the closet.

With her heart in her throat, she walked in that direction and slowly opened the door. He was kneeling on the floor, sitting back on his heels, big tears rolling down his cheeks as he quietly cried.

“Lucas, hey…” Felicity crouched in front of him, cradling his cheeks and running her thumbs over them to comfort him and wipe away his tears. “What are you doing in here? What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry.” He told her and cried harder. His body shaking with the force of his sobs.

It broke Felicity’s heart.

“Everything is fine, baby.” She tried to comfort him, her hand gently ran through his damp hair, but he continued to cry. “What are you sorry about?”

“The bed.” He sniffled.

She glanced at it and in the soft light she was still able to notice a wet stain on it.

“I didn’t mean to.” He whispered, ashamed.

Felicity looked back at Lucas. “It’s alright, sweetheart. It happens.”

The light suddenly turned on and she turned to see Oliver standing at the door. “Is something wrong?” He asked, concerned at seeing Lucas hiding in the closet once again.

“I’m sorry.” Lucas cried again, his head hanging low.

Felicity quickly nodded to the bed, and with just a look Oliver knew what happened.

“Lucas, look at me, please.” Felicity cradled his cheeks once again and he raised his eyes to stare at her. “It’s not a big problem. We’ll just change the sheets. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Oliver walked closer to them and kneeled next to Felicity. “Hey… You’re in a new house, a new room by yourself. It’s a big change from what you’re used to. That’s completely normal.”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t scared of being alone.”

“Then what is it, honey?” Felicity asked him, ready to do anything to make him feel better.

“I had a bad dream.” He wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “And there was the bad man.”

“The bad man?” Oliver questioned with a frown.

But Felicity already knew who that was. “Mr. Daniels.” She guessed and Lucas nodded. She had to push aside her hate for the man, her want to make him pay for everything he had ever done to the boy, to _her son_. But Lucas needed her attention more than that jerk, so she focused on him.

“It was a bad dream and I woke up… I was scared and didn’t know what to do and it happened.” The tears were back in his eyes.

Oliver ran his hand over the boy’s head, trying to calm him down. “Listen… How about we get you out of this closet, and Felicity runs you a quick bath while I change the bedsheets? Then we’ll find a way to help you sleep again without having more nightmares. Okay?”

He sniffled and nodded. Felicity gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and helped him out of the closet.

As Felicity helped him take the bath, Lucas kept sniffling, sometimes a tear escaped his eye and he hastily wiped it away. Each time, Felicity caressed his cheek and whispered that everything was okay and he didn’t have to be scared. When they were done and she had a towel wrapped around him, Oliver entered the room with a new pj’s for Lucas and gently smiled at him.

“The bed is all done and dry.”

They knew bedwetting was a possibility, especially knowing all the trauma he went through, and that was why they had bought waterproof sheets, so the mattress stayed dry and he could still sleep in it.

Lucas glanced down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, honey.” Felicity almost pleaded him. “It’s okay, we’re not angry if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“You’re not?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

They both shook their heads. “No, Lucas.” They started to help him get dressed before he got cold. “We knew you were going to have some difficulties in a new environment, and with new people.”

“We just want you to tell us when something is wrong.” Oliver softly told him. “Whatever that is, you have to tell us, so we can help you.”

The boy stayed quiet, thinking about their words. When he was ready for bed again, he glanced up at them and Felicity noticed the scared look was back in his eyes.

“Hey…” Oliver started, probably having seen the same thing she did. “Would you like to stay with us tonight?”

Lucas frowned. “With you?” Oliver nodded. “So the bad man stays away?” The hope in his eyes outshined the fear.

“We will keep him away.” Felicity reassured him. “ _I promise_.”

After thinking about it for a couple of seconds, Lucas nodded. “Okay.”

Oliver smiled and held out his hand, which he gladly took. They went to the master bedroom, but once there, Lucas hesitated again. Felicity sat on her side of the bed and patted the spot next to her.

“What if I wet the bed again?” He whispered worriedly.

“Then we’ll change the bedsheets again.” Oliver put a gentle hand on the kid’s shoulder, trying to reassure him. “And no one will get angry, I promise.”

Lucas sighed and looked at the bed. Felicity held out her hand and he took it, climbing on the bed next to her. She laid on her side and he followed her, curling up in a fetal position, his legs pressed to his chest. He was trying to make himself so small, it pained Felicity to look at him like that. Oliver sat on his side of the bed and turned off the lights, and Lucas let out a gasp when the room went dark. He immediately scooted closer to Felicity, almost touching her but not really.

“Hold on.” She heard Oliver say before he stood again and left the room.

Felicity wrapped her arms around the boy and pulled him against her, kissing the top of his head and running her hands over his back in a soothing motion. “It’s alright, Lucas.”

He trembled a little, his harsh breaths against her neck, until Oliver was back in the room and after a few seconds he had the nightlight on, casting the room in a soft light.

“Is it better now?” He asked.

Lucas let out a shaky breath. “Yes.”

Oliver joined them, pulled up the covers and laid close to them, his hand gently squeezing Lucas’s arm. “It’s okay, honey. You can relax.” He told the boy. “You’re safe with us.”

“Nothing and no one are going to hurt you here.” Felicity whispered.

“Not even the bad man?” He asked, looking up at her.

She wanted to ask him what happened in his nightmare that still haunted his blue eyes, and wondered if it was actually a memory, but she didn’t want to upset him more than he already was. “Especially not him.” She reassured the boy. “We won’t let that happen. _Ever_.”

Lucas closed his eyes sighing, slowly he uncurled his legs and assumed a more relaxed position, throwing one arm around her and hiding his face in the crook of her neck.

They kept whispering soft words to him as he ever so slowly fell asleep, cuddled between them. Safe and protected from the monsters he feared. Oliver and Felicity just hoped it was enough to protect him from those inside his head too.

→

When Oliver woke up the next morning, he was lying on his back, with Lucas hugging his torso and Felicity running a gentle hand through the boy’s hair. She was already awake and stared at their son with a smile, but her eyes were sad and worried.

“Hey.” He whispered, careful not to wake up Lucas.

Her eyes found his. “Hi.”

“Did you sleep some?” Oliver asked. He woke up throughout the night many times to make sure Lucas was okay, and almost every time Felicity was awake too.

“Yeah.” She sighed, looking down at the kid again. “I just… I’m worried about him.”

“I know. I am too.”

“He’s afraid of asking simple things, and to do every day actions. How is he going to react when he’ll have to face something important?” She wondered.

Oliver cradled her cheek and ran his hand in a caress, making her look up at him again. “We’re going to teach him that he doesn’t have to be scared of all that. And we’ll show him that he doesn’t have to be afraid of us.”

“How can we do that other than reassuring him like we already are?”

Oliver thought back to the idea he had the previous night when he couldn’t sleep. “I may have thought of a way to start on that. I want to talk to him today, when we’ll go to the park.”

He was about to tell her more when he felt Lucas stir next to him.

“Later.” She whispered. In her eyes he could see the trust she had in him, knowing that whatever he was going to say might help the boy.

It was a few more minutes before Lucas opened his eyes.

“Good morning, little man.” Oliver told him with a smile.

He blushed a little and smiled. “Hi.” He whispered shily.

“Did you sleep okay?” Felicity asked him, running a hand down his arm. Lucas turned to lay on his back so he could see her too and nodded. “Any more dreams?”

He frowned, thinking about it for a moment. “I was chasing a bunny. It was fun.” He smiled suddenly. “It was white and furry and soft.”

Both Oliver and Felicity smiled at him, glad that he could forget about the nightmare.

“Are you ready for our day at the park?” Oliver asked him.

The boy looked at him surprised. “We still going?”

“Yes, Lucas.” He told him gently. “I told you I was going to teach you all about baseball, didn’t I?” The child smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Then that’s what we’re going to do.”

→

It was a perfect day to go to the park. The sun was shining bright in the sky, but not too hot, with a slight breeze every now and then. A few families were there, playing and just relaxing, a few couples too, but the park was pretty vast that they weren’t going to bother anyone as Oliver taught Lucas how to play baseball.

Felicity wasn’t good with sports, or rather with anything that required eye-hand coordination, so she decided to sit against a tree, a blanket under her, a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose and a book in her hand, while ‘her boys’ -as she liked to call them- played.

“Have fun.” She told them with a smile.

“Thank you.” Lucas replied, taking off his jacket, too warm to wear under the sun.

Felicity smiled again at the sight of their son wearing the blue jersey with ‘Smoak’ on it. Lucas was a little hesitant when he asked if he could wear it for their day, but they both smiled through teared up eyes. He couldn’t understand the meaning behind him wanting to wear the shirt with Felicity’s last name on it, but to her and Oliver it meant everything.

Felicity took the jacket from the boy and placed it on top of her bag, while putting a baseball cap on the top of his head. Oliver watched the small exchange from a few feet away, a smile on his lips. Lucas turned around and looked up at him expectantly. Oliver placed a hand between his shoulder blades and walked with him a few more feet away, so they weren’t going to accidentally hit Felicity or the other people nearby.

“What do you want to try first?” Oliver asked. “Throw the ball or catch it?”

Lucas hummed as he thought. “Throw.” He declared, with a small excited jump.

“Alright.” Oliver chuckled.

When they were at a reasonable distance, but still near Felicity so she could see them clearly, Oliver got down on one knee and placed their gloves on the grass, while he showed Lucas how to hold the ball. He showed him how to hold it and how to move his body as he threw, keeping it simple for him. The boy listened carefully to every word he was saying, a small frown between his eyebrows as he focused on learning.

“You got everything?” Oliver asked him after he explained him the basics.

“Yes.” Lucas nodded. “But my hand is too small for the ball.”

“That’s okay.” Oliver reassured him, gently squeezing his shoulder. “When you’ll grow up it’ll fit perfectly.” He helped him put on the glove, so he got used to the weight, then took several steps away, ready to catch. “Okay. Whenever you’re ready, throw it at me.”

Lucas firmly nodded and Oliver watched with a proud smile as he took a perfect stance, breathing a few times while looking at him and then threw the ball. He didn’t use a lot of force, so it didn’t reach Oliver and ended on the grass. Oliver jogged to it and went to give it back to Lucas.

“It wasn’t a good throw.” Lucas said frowning.

“That’s okay. It was your first throw, it can’t be perfect otherwise you’ll leave every baseball player without a job.” He chuckled, glad to see a small smile on Lucas’s lips. “But the stance was very good. You just need to use a little more strength, alright?”

The kid nodded and Oliver resumed his previous position, a little closer this time. The next throw was better, but still too weak to reach him. Oliver just smiled and encouraged him. They repeated it a few more times but Lucas seemed defeated when the ball ended on the grass once again. Oliver quickly went to stand in front of the boy and kneeled, so they were face to face.

“I’m not good.” Lucas half whined.

“That’s not right, you are _very_ good.” Oliver countered. “You are very good because your stance is perfect, and the ball is always headed toward me in a straight line, not in any other direction.” He placed his hands over the boy’s arms. “You just need to use your strength. A strength that is here deep inside you.” Oliver gently pointed his finger to Lucas’s chest, over his heart. “I know you have that strength, and I know you can use it. You need to feel it starting from the ground, from your feet, raising through your legs, your core, run through your chest and reach your shoulder so you can throw that ball as hard as you can, as far away as you can.”

As he spoke, he stared deep into his son’s blue eyes. He could _see_ that strength. Not the physical one, but the one that kept him going, no matter what he had to go through in the past few years. The one that wanted to show who he really was to those bastards that hurt him. The one that wanted to prove that he wasn’t going to give up easily.

“You have that strength, Lucas. I know you have it. You have to believe in it, just like I believe in _you_.”

The child took in a deep breath and nodded, a determined expression on his face. “I wanna try again.” He announced, making Oliver smile.

“That’s my boy.”

Oliver jogged away again, farther than the last time, and planted his feet on the ground. He watched Lucas doing the same, taking the stance Oliver taught him, breathed in a couple of deep breaths and raised his eyes to look at him. _That_ was the look Oliver had been waiting for. The look of someone who didn’t want to give up. The look of someone who was determined. The look of someone who believed.

Oliver wasn’t sure if Lucas believed in himself, probably no -not yet,- but he sure as hell believed in what he was doing.

Lucas raised his arm and threw the ball with everything he had in him. The ball ended in Oliver’s glove with a satisfying thud.

“I did it!” Lucas yelled, jumping on the spot then running toward him, launching himself in Oliver’s waiting arms. “I did it!”

“Yes, you did, my little man.” Oliver smiled widely at the boy. “I told you, you could do it.” He kissed his cheek. “I’m very proud of you.”

Lucas’s arms tightened around his neck as he laughed. Oliver wanted to hear that sound every day for the rest of his life. The boy suddenly let go of him and wanted to be put down. A little reluctantly, Oliver did and watched as Lucas ran back to where Felicity sat against the tree. At some point she discarded her book and exchanged it with her phone, no doubt to record them if the way she was holding it pointed at them was any indication. Oliver followed Lucas’s steps.

“Felicity! I did it! I threw the ball and Oliver caught it!” Lucas yelled, running in her arms too.

“You were very good, Lucas. I saw everything and I even recorded it.” She announced, pride evident in her voice as her arms wrapped around the little boy.

“And he was very far away!”

“It was a very strong throw.” Oliver confirmed, shaking his hand. “It almost hurt my hand. I think we have a future baseball player in front of us.”

“Can we do that again?” Lucas asked, hope shining in his eyes as he let go of Felicity.

“Of course.”

Lucas grabbed the ball from Oliver’s hand and went to resume his position. With a chuckle, Oliver looked down at his wife, who was smiling widely. He quickly leaned down and placed a soft kiss against her lips.

“I can’t believe I’m so happy.” He told her.

“I know. I’m happy too.” Felicity smiled and winked at him. “Go, before he thinks he really hurt your hand.”

Oliver chuckled and kissed her again before joining Lucas. He lost track of the time they spent throwing the ball at each other, running around the park as Lucas learned how to catch it with the glove. It fell from it a few times, but he didn’t seem to care, he just smiled and threw it again.

Lucas’s throws started to get weaker and after a while he threw it completely away from Oliver, his hand going to clutch his shoulder. Oliver dropped his glove and ran to him.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” He asked worriedly, his hands softly prodding the kid’s shoulder.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt, but I’m tired.”

“I think it’s enough for one day.” Felicity announced as she got closer, juice box in one hand and bottle of water in the other.

Lucas took the juice she held out for him and eagerly drank it, as Oliver took the water.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.” She looked down at Lucas, removing his cap to run her hand through his damp hair. “You’re all sweaty. I think you can call it a day.”

“I agree.” Oliver said. He didn’t want to get Lucas too tired. “How about we go home and play with your Legos? They require less physical effort.”

Lucas nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll go get the bag.” Felicity said, walking away from them.

Oliver put a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “And we go get our gloves and ball.”

They grabbed their things and as they waited for Felicity, Oliver noticed Lucas was leaning against his leg for support, finally realizing how tired he was. Without a word, Oliver picked him up and held him against his side. Lucas immediately rested his head against his shoulder, still drinking his juice. As he looked down at the boy, Oliver thought back to what he told Felicity that morning.

“Lucas… There is one more thing I want to talk to you about.” He started, catching his son’s attention who looked up at him. “It’s about what happened last night.”

Lucas avoided his eyes, but Oliver’s stare made him look back at him again.

“A few years ago… I was in a boat accident and I had to live on an island for over a year. I was alone and, most of the times, I was scared, terrified even.” Lucas frowned, probably not understanding why he was telling him that. “When I came back home, back to Felicity… I had problems adjusting to my old life. I had problems eating whatever and how much I wanted again. I had nightmares. I had problems living with people again, trusting them, and I always feared they were going to hurt me for some reason. But after I told all of this to Felicity… she told me that I didn’t have to be afraid. That it was okay to be scared, but I didn’t have to because she was there for me, _with me_.”

Lucas looked at him, thinking about his words.

“That’s what I want to tell _you_ now. That it’s okay if you are scared. This is a new and different life for you, no one expects you to just go on like nothing ever happened. I know there will be more situations that will make you afraid or insecure, that you’ll need more time to get used to me and Felicity being around you, _being there for you_. But I want you to remember that you don’t have to be afraid of _us_ , because we will never hurt you. We will be here to help you. To take care of you. To love you.”

By the time Oliver finished his speech, Felicity was a few feet away from them and heard the last part of it. She placed a gentle hand over Lucas’s back and when the boy looked at her, she smiled.

“He’s right. We will be here for you. Always.”

Lucas thought about their words for a few moments, a small frown between his eyebrows. “Okay.” He just whispered, placing his head back on Oliver’s shoulder.

He looked at his wife and knew that she was also aware that a speech wasn’t going to fix everything, but it was a start.

“Can we go play with Legos now?” Lucas asked.

They both smiled, glad that he didn’t lose the spirit of the day.

“Let’s go home.”

→


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to all of you for your kind words! They're really appreciated.
> 
> As for this story... I'm still working on it, but I just wrote an extra chapter, so instead of 7, they will be 8 (with the possibility of writing random one-shots when the muse will strike again, so make sure to stay subscribed!)
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

A few days later, Felicity was working on her tablet, the results of her last algorithm for a new improved security system for QC didn’t convince her one bit. It kept crashing and sending fake alarm messages.

She was getting stressed over it. And when she was stressed, she ate. Mint chip, that was what she needed. She stood from the couch and walked toward the kitchen, biting her lip as she thought of a way to fix the problem.

She was so absorbed by her work on her tablet, that when a small hand landed on her leg it startled her. With a yelp, she turned around, knocking against the table near the kitchen door, and the flower vase her mother gave to her fell on the floor, it shattered in pieces as water flew everywhere.

Lucas was standing next to her with wide eyes. He was supposed to be playing in his room with Oliver as they let her get some work done downstairs. Her husband wasn’t around, so he probably received the urgent phone call from Thea that he was waiting for.

“Lucas, you scared the life out of me.” Felicity took a calming breath, placing her hand over her racing heart. “You were so quiet I didn’t hear you, honey.”

His hand fell away from her leg as he looked down at the broken vase. “I’m sorry.” He whispered as he crouched down and reached to pick up the shattered glass.

“No, no, no! Don’t touch it!” Her hands flew to stop him before he could grab it. “It’s glass, you can get hurt.” Felicity gently pushed him away from the broken pieces, careful to not make him walk on it with his bare feet. “I’ll get this cleaned up. Wait in the kitchen until I’m done, alright?”

She saw him nod and after he went into the room, she went to get the broom and some towels. As she was cleaning the floor, out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucas slowly approaching her.

“Lucas, you should really wait in the kitchen. There’s still glass on-”

When she turned to him, she noticed the tear tracks on his face as his lower lip quivered and his breathing sped up. He held out a trembling hand and, on instinct, Felicity took what he held out for her.

“Lucas, what-”

“I’m sorry I was bad. I promise to be good.” He sobbed.

Felicity’s heart seized at the terrified look in his eyes as he glanced down at her hand, the one that held the bottle he just gave to her. Only then she noticed it was the hot sauce they kept in the fridge.

When realization hit her, she felt the world collapsing onto her.

She dropped the bottle on the floor as if it burned her hand, and Felicity hurried to cradle Lucas’s cheeks, wiping away his tears. “Hey, listen to me, Lucas. It’s alright. You did nothing wrong, okay? It was _my_ fault. I didn’t hear you and _I_ knocked down the vase.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to break it.” He cried, his breathing getting worse.

Felicity could only imagine what he was feeling at that moment. There was a broken vase, he thought it was his fault, that it was bad behavior, and he just gave her hot sauce, waiting for his punishment. That was certainly some PTSD stuff, and it didn’t help that he had a scar on his back, caused by a similar situation. She had no idea if she could help him by herself, PTSD was a very delicate thing to deal with.

“Oliver…” She called out for him, hoping he’d hear and come to help her. That made Lucas cry again. “Shh, no, it’s okay, honey. Nothing is going to happen to you.” She reassured him, running her hand through his hair.

It was just a few moments before Oliver entered the living room, phone still pressed to his ear. His eyes quickly took in the scene in front of him and without a word he carelessly dropped the phone on the couch, walking toward them.

“I’m sorry.” Lucas repeated again, taking a step back, close to the glass.

Felicity held him, preventing him from taking another step and risking of getting glass in his bare feet, but Oliver was there in two quick strides. He picked up the boy from behind, his back against Oliver’s chest, one arm around the waist and the other under the legs.

“Did he get cut by the glass?” He asked worried, and Felicity quickly checked his tiny feet.

She shook her head. “No, no cuts.”

“What happened?” He questioned as he carefully stepped around the glass and walked to the couch, Lucas still crying in his arms.

“I didn’t hear him, I got scared and knocked down the vase. He thought it was his fault and brought me that.” She indicated the hot sauce lying on the floor and Oliver froze looking at the item, knowing immediately that those bastards used that to punish their boy. It went without saying that they were never going to buy that thing ever again.

Oliver sighed. "I'm sorry, it's my fault, I told him to get to you while I took the call."

She shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. And it wasn't mine." Those bastards were the only ones to blame.

Gently, Felicity took Lucas from Oliver’s arms and held him close to her chest. “Lucas, I need you to listen to me, honey.”

They sat on the couch, Lucas on her legs, tears still streaming down his reddened face.

“Lucas, look at me, baby.” She waited until he opened his eyes and stared into hers. “It’s okay. Everything is fine, but I need you to take a deep breath, okay? Come on.”

Both her and Oliver showed him how to properly breathe, slowly calming him down until only a few tears escaped his eyes.

“Buddy… Why did you give Felicity the hot sauce?” Oliver gently asked him, running a comforting hand over the boy’s back.

He bit his lip in worry before mumbling his words. “Because when kids do bad things, they get hot sauce in their mouth.”

It sounded as if he had to repeat those words over and over again, no doubt that someone taught them to him. That explained why when a few nights earlier Lucas suddenly got scared of Oliver getting close to the fridge when he didn’t like the chili. He thought he was going to get the hot sauce as a punishment.

She felt Oliver tremble next to her. She wasn’t sure if it was because of shivers running down his spine or in anger at those bastards. It was probably both. She knew she was feeling both those things.

“Sweetie, that’s not how it should be.” Felicity told him. “That certainly is not going to happen here. We don’t do that, we’ll _never_ do that to you. I promise.”

The child frowned as he looked from her to Oliver and back again to her. “So I get in the closet?”

“What?” Felicity barely whispered.

Those times they found him in there, after he got ‘caught’ snooping around and after the bed accident, he wasn’t hiding from them. He was being punished. Or so he thought.

The more things she found out about his past, the more she wanted to hit something. Or even better, hit someone, aka the Daniels. She was so tempted to just grab her tablet and make them pay... Literally. Donations to support groups for people and children abused sounded so good at the moment. Later. Now Lucas needed her.

Oliver cradled the boy’s cheek and made him look into his eyes. “Lucas, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?” He spoke softly and waited until he nodded before continuing. “Those things… Put you in the closet, use the hot sauce, not give you food or water and physically hurt you, they are all wrong. They are not things that should be done to anyone and whoever did that… it’s just _wrong_.”

“We will never do them to you, honey.” Felicity repeated. “And we don’t want you to think that we’ll do them if you do something wrong. Because we will _not_.”

Lucas wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt and sniffled. “Why?”

A single word, spoke so brokenly… It pained Felicity to hear him so unsure.

“Because we love you, Lucas.”

It was the first real time that she said it out loud. Felicity always felt that emotion since the first moment they met, but in the last few weeks it developed into something so much more. It was an unconditional love, it was a need to make him feel loved, to erase all the bad things that were ever done to him. She knew that doing that last thing was impossible, but she sure as hell was going to try to make things better for him.

“We love you, and we will never do something that will hurt you, or scare you, or make you afraid of us.”

“We’re your parents now.” Oliver added, running his hand over Lucas’s back. “We are going to protect you from those things, not do them to you. We want you to feel at home here with us, we want you to feel free to do what you want without being scared of consequences. Because there won’t be consequences, ok?”

Lucas slowly nodded.

Felicity pulled him closer, until he rested his head on her chest as she ran her hand through his hair soothingly. “If there is something that you don’t want to do or you’re not okay with, you just tell us, we’ll figure out a way to make it work and no one will get angry.”

“I don’t want to make you angry.” He murmured quietly.

“Buddy, we won’t get angry at you. You need to know that doing things wrong is part of growing up. Even adults make mistakes. You make a mistake, you learn from it. But getting hurt because of that is not how it works, that’s not going to help anyone.” Oliver smiled at the boy. “You are smart, Lucas, I can see it. _I know it_. I know you are able to understand what’s wrong. So, if you ever do or are about to do something wrong, I want you to stop for a minute, think about it, and then tell us. Without worrying about getting hurt or being punished, okay?”

Lucas nodded again.

“We will never hurt you, sweetheart.” Felicity promised him with a kiss on the top of his head.

He was quiet for a few minutes, and they let him process everything they just said to him. Eventually he looked up at them, his blue eyes now free of tears. Felicity couldn’t help but gently caress his cheek.

“Why Mr. and Mrs. Daniels did those things to me, and Nate, and Lizzie?” He wondered.

That was something Felicity and Oliver wanted to know too. They had no idea why people did that to children. To them, the mere thought of laying a hand on a child was disgusting.

“Some people…” Oliver started hesitatingly. “They just don’t know how to take care of kids.”

Lucas’s eyes darted from Felicity and Oliver, almost studying them. “And you know how?”

Felicity shrugged. “You tell us. Do you think we know how to take care of you? Or do you think what we’re doing is wrong?”

He thought for a few seconds. “I think you are good.”

He then went back to hug her, and Felicity didn’t waste time, she wrapped her arms around his body, trying to make him feel safe. If that wasn’t enough, Oliver joined them, holding them in the safety of his strong arms.

They still had a long road ahead, but the fact that Lucas was trusting them to not hurt him, was a big step forward.

→

As the next week passed, Lucas started to be more at ease. He walked around the house without worrying about what he did, he started to eat a little more, and he definitely became clingy with them, which they didn’t mind at all. Often, he asked for hugs from them both, and every time it warmed their hearts as he just spent hours cuddling with them.

He was getting more attached to them, and Oliver didn’t feel ready to go back to work as soon as they first established. Go to QC meant leaving Felicity and Lucas back at home alone, and with everything Lucas had been through, he didn’t want him to feel like he was already tired of having him around. So, he asked his sister if she could continue to substitute him while he helped her from home with the important matters. Thea didn’t hesitate for a second and accepted, on one ‘condition’. She wanted to meet her nephew.

After talking about it with Felicity and then with Lucas, they agreed she and Roy could visit that weekend. The boy didn’t seem bothered by the idea of meeting someone new, maybe because they already talked to him about the couple and he always told them that they sounded like funny people.

But when the day arrived, Oliver could tell that Lucas was a little nervous. He didn’t leave the safety of Felicity’s arms the entire morning and he kept fixing the button-down shirt he insisted on wearing. He understood that meeting Thea and Roy was important for them, and his will to dress up for the occasion brought a smile on his and Felicity’s faces.

The doorbell rang. Oliver went to open the door and he was met with a grinning Thea, Roy a few steps behind her.

“Hi, Ollie!” She greeted him, stealing a hug from him.

“Hi, Speedy.” Oliver took a step back and let them in. “Roy, come in. How are you guys?”

“We’re fine, super-fine!” Thea clapped excitedly as she looked around. “I’m going to meet my nephew, and I will be his favorite auntie!”

“Speedy, you’re his only aunt.” Oliver reminded her again with a smile.

Ever since Oliver and Felicity told her they wanted a baby, Thea was ecstatic. She supported them through the hard times and when they told her about the adoption, she made some research and suggested the centers they could visit. In the end, it was thanks to her that they found Lucas.

“Trust me, man, she doesn’t care that she’s the only one.” Roy warned him. “She wants to be the best anyway.”

Oliver laughed as Thea glared at her boyfriend. “Very funny.”

“What are those bags for?” Oliver asked pointing at the two large bags Roy was carrying.

Thea’s eyes shined. “Oh, just a few little things I brought for Lucas…”

“Speedy, you didn’t have to.” Oliver told her.

“Are you kidding me? It’s an auntie’s job to spoil her nephew. I’ve been waiting for this moment for years, now it’s finally here, so… Can I please meet him now? _Please_.” She pouted, just enough to make him smile, like she knew it would.

“You better listen to her.” Roy said. “She can be a real pain in the ass if she doesn’t get what she wants.”

Thea swatted at his arm, and Oliver chuckled. “I know.”

Before she could retort something, they saw Felicity walking out of the kitchen with Lucas in her arms. He was hugging her close, his head almost hidden in the crook of her neck, but his eyes were trained on Thea and Roy.

“Hey, guys. I’m so happy to see you.” Felicity smiled at them.

“We are too. We couldn’t wait to visit.” Thea said and focused her attention on the boy.

“Guys, this is Lucas. Our son.” Felicity announced proudly.

“Hi, Lucas. I am your auntie Thea, and he is your uncle Roy.”

“Hi.” Lucas mumbled, biting his lip in nervousness.

“Oh my gosh, you are so handsome.” She told him with an adoring smile.

Lucas’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as he hid his face in Felicity’s neck. She ran her hand over the boy’s back as she smiled at Thea and Roy.

“He is quite shy. Just… Just give him some time.”

“Of course, sweetie. And, whenever you are ready, we brought you a few new toys, if you’re interested…” She said teasingly.

His head perked up at that. “Toys?” He whispered, clearly interested on the subject, making all the present chuckle.

“Yes. We have a few interesting stuff.” Roy said, raising the bags he was still holding.

“Your mommy and daddy told us that you like to color a lot,” Thea continued, “so we brought you a whole new set of pencils and markers along with new books.”

Both Oliver and Felicity froze at the words ‘mommy and daddy’. They were fine with Lucas calling them by their first names, really. They wanted to give him as much time as he needed to adjust, before testing the waters on the ‘mom and dad’ thing. But Lucas didn’t seem bothered by Thea’s choice of words.

“What books?” He asked excitedly, already forgetting about his shyness.

“Well…” Thea looked in the bag Roy was holding out for her, searching for the items. “We’ve got you a book with animals, another one with cars, then cartoons aaand… my favorite, the one with Minions.”

Lucas gasped. “A book with Minions?”

“Yes! Do you like them?”

He nodded enthusiastically. Oliver held out his hand. “Why don’t you come here and take a look?”

When he nodded again, Felicity put him down and he went to stand in front of Thea as she gathered the book and the pencils. Oliver put a reassuring hand on the child’s shoulder, but he was relaxed, bringing a smile on Oliver’s face.

Thea handed him the book and Lucas immediately started to look at it.

“What do you say, buddy?”

He looked up at Thea and Roy smiling. “Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, little angel.” Thea replied.

Lucas looked up at Oliver. “Can I color now?”

“Sure, whatever you want.”

They all went to the living room and sat on the couches and armchairs, steaming mugs of coffee already set for them on the coffee table. Lucas sat on top of Oliver’s legs and started his work on the book, as Thea and Roy talked and asked him questions. They seemed to understand pretty quickly that he wasn’t a child of many words, and that they needed to go slow with him, so they didn’t press him when he answered with just a yes or no, and just changed the subject.

Thea even offered to help him color and he let her, as she asked him what he liked about Oliver and Felicity. His cheeks tinged of a nice shade of red, as he timidly confessed that they made him feel at home. At his words, Oliver saw Felicity surreptitiously wipe away a tear and he reached out to take her hand. She entwined their fingers and held on tightly, sending him a warm smile.

As Lucas continued his work on the book, the conversation somehow shifted on shoes for Thea and Felicity, as Oliver and Roy discussed the next football match. The conversation was boring for a four-years-old, but he seemed happy with his new gift.

Time passed, and Lucas slowly started to lean against Oliver’s chest as the book was left forgotten next to them on the couch. Oliver and Felicity had learned that when he did that, it usually meant he was ready for his afternoon nap. His theory was confirmed when Lucas turned around in his arms to hug him, resting his head on Oliver’s chest as he closed his eyes with a sigh.

“Are you tired?” Oliver asked him, kissing the top of his head.

“Yes.” He mumbled.

“Wanna take a nap?” The boy nodded with a yawn.

“I’ll take care of him.” Felicity offered, opening her arms, Lucas blindly reached for her and then rested his head on her shoulder. “Let’s say bye to Thea and Roy.”

Their son opened his eyes and glanced at them with a small smile and a wave of his hand. “Bye.”

"Can I have a small hug from my favorite nephew?" Thea asked hopefully.

The kid reached out with an arm as the other stayed locked around Felicity's neck. Thea quickly wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, before pulling away and beaming at him.

Lucas's eyes fell on Roy, who raised his hand. "High five, man."

The boy high fived him with a smile, before he went back to rest his head against Felicity's shoulder. "Bye." He waved at them.

“Bye, Lucas.” They replied waving back.

As Felicity started to take him to his bedroom, they heard the boy’s whispered words. “Can they visit again?” To which Felicity replied, “Of course, sweetie.”

Only after they were out of their sight, Oliver turned to look at his sister and her boyfriend, a smile still plastered on his face.

“Oh my god, he’s so cute.” Thea gushed. “Did you see those dimples? I want to squish his face and kiss his tiny red cheeks.”

Oliver chuckled at his sister’s excitement.

“He seems a smart little guy.” Roy thought out loud.

“He is. He’s very smart.” Oliver couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice even if he tried. “And he’s very polite too.”

“Oh, I want to spend an entire day playing with him and tell him all about when we were young, and about our parents.”

Her words made him think about Lucas’s past and how his ‘parents’ treated him.

Oliver and Felicity didn’t tell anyone about it. Not their friends, not Felicity’s mother, not Thea and Roy. They wanted for their family to meet him and get to know him like they did, without knowing about his past. Their family needed to see the same boy Oliver and Felicity started to care about from the first moment they saw him, the one that conquered them with a small smile and a tight hug.

They also wanted to protect him as much as they could, and that meant protect him from being looked at with pity or asked about what happened. Not that their family was going to look at him with pity, just like they knew that no one would ever intentionally do something that might scare him, but-

“Ollie?” His sister brought him back to the present. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, just-” He shook his head. “I want to ask you to wait for that.”

She looked taken aback. “Oh… Okay. I mean, of course, whatever you think is right.”

Oliver knew that they deserved to know the whole truth, but he was still hesitant about sharing Lucas’s past.

“I’ve been in foster care a few times.” Roy said quietly. “I know it takes a lot of time to get used to a new life. Every home is different. Different people, different rules, different ways of raising a child. It’s easy to confuse families when there’s a change.” He looked at his girlfriend. “Your brother is right, we should wait until he has settled a little.”

Roy looked back at him. “And Oliver, if you want a bit of advice… Just go easy on him, reassure him and make him feel safe. That’s all he wants.”

Now Oliver was the one taken aback. He remembered that Roy had been through a lot, but he didn’t realize his sister’s boyfriend was the one who could understand Lucas more than anyone else.

“Thank you, Roy.” He said sincerely.

He shrugged. “No need to.”

Oliver was still thinking about his words, when Felicity was back in the room.

“He was out as soon as he touched the pillow.” She announced with a smile, sitting once again next to him. “Is everything okay?” She asked with a frown. “I sense some heavy conversation going on.”

Oliver smiled at her reassuringly. “No. Well, yes, but… We have a wonderful family, who can understand us.”

Her frown deepened, not fully understanding what he was saying, but he silently told her that they were going to talk about it later and she seemed to relax.

“We are just so happy for you, guys.” Thea told them sincerely. “You finally have what you wanted, a family with a little boy- a wonderful little boy, if I may add. You deserve it.”

Felicity stood again and went to hug her sister in law, words whispered from one another, so softly that Oliver couldn’t hear what was being said.

“Well, I think it went pretty good, right?” Roy asked, to which Oliver nodded. “Thea was able to control herself, so I guess that’s a win.”

“Hey!” She disentangled from Felicity and smacked Roy's arm.

“What? I’m just saying, if it went this good with you, then now he’s ready to face Felicity’s mother.”

Oliver watched with amusement as his wife closed her eyes and groaned.

“Please don’t remind me that. I’m fully aware that the day is getting closer.”

“Do you have a date yet?” Thea asked.

“We were thinking about next week.” Oliver informed her, as he stood to get to his wife and run comforting hands over her arms. “It’ll be fine.”

“I know, but my mother can be… a lot to handle. I don’t want him to be overwhelmed or anything.”

“Well, it’s like Roy said… He already faced Thea, he can handle anything now.”

His sister glared at him, making everyone laugh.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, that was the last time Lucas was scared of being punished by them!!
> 
> Hoping you'll forgive me for all Lucas had to go through, the next chapter is pure fluff!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm amazed by the response to this story. Thank you all for your support.
> 
> As promised, here's your fluffy chapter!!

Felicity was trembling.

She hadn’t been this nervous since the day they brought Lucas home. She was looking at him as he played with his Legos on the carpet. He was so focused on what he was doing, biting his lower lip as he built an impressive fortress. He placed a small brick on the top and frowned. Not convinced of his choice, he removed it and placed it on a lower level. He then smiled, satisfied of the change, and grabbed another piece, repeating the process.

He was so at ease, quietly playing with his toys. He had no idea his life was about to change.

Oliver was sitting next to him, helping him with his work, when he looked back at her with a knowing smile. He ruffled their son's hair before standing and walking to where she leaned against the doorframe. His hands gently squeezed her shoulders and he lovingly smiled at her. “It’s going to be fine.”

Felicity sighed. “Are you sure? Because I’m terrified.”

Oliver leaned down and placed his lips over hers for a soft kiss. His breaths washed over her as he nibbled her lower lip, before pulling away to stare deeply into her eyes.

“It’s going to be fine.” He repeated.

She closed her eyes and sighed, just when the doorbell rang.

“Can we pretend we’re not home?” She asked him weakly, making him chuckle.

Oliver quickly kissed her again before he went to open the door.

Felicity looked at Lucas again. “Oh boy, what have we done?” She muttered to herself.

Before she could warn him, a hurricane of pink dress and blonde hair rushed into the room. A loud yell caught Lucas’s attention and she cringed. Yeah, she definitely should have warned him more than with a simple 'she's quite affectionate'.

“Oh, my gosh!”

Donna quickly walked to the boy, who looked at her with wide eyes.

“Mom…” Felicity tried to warn her, but her mother was already picking him up.

She held him so close to her chest that Felicity feared she was hurting him. Lucas stayed still in her arms as he looked at her and Oliver, not understanding what was happening.

“Oh, baby, you’re so cute.” Donna cooed, pulling back to look at him. “You are a very handsome young man, Lucas dear. I’m so happy you can finally meet your grandma!”

She kissed his cheek, leaving lipstick on it. Felicity wasn’t sure what was redder, the lipstick or her son’s flushed cheeks.

“Mom, slow down, please. You’re scaring him.” Felicity told her seriously.

Her mother looked at her shocked. “What? I’m not scaring him, right my little sweet cutie-pie?” She asked Lucas, who had a small smile on his face. “First, your mommy denies me to visit for almost _three whole weeks_ since they brought you home with them. And now, she tells me that I’m scaring you, but I’m not. Look at this wonderful smile, and those tiny cute little dimples, and _ohmygosh_ your eyes are so blue!”

Lucas started to giggle, his hands covering his mouth as his posture relaxed in Donna’s embrace.

Oliver wrapped a reassuring arm around Felicity’s waist, pulling her closer. “He’s fine. Don’t worry.” He whispered to her.

“My mother is here harassing our son, of course I worry.”

Oliver chuckled. “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating a little bit? Look at him.” He indicated the young boy who was laughing at Donna’s attentions. “He looks like he’s already having fun. And she adores him.”

Felicity sighed. She knew that. She knew that her mother loved him before they even told her they were going to adopt him, and she knew that Lucas was going to love Donna once he got to know her.

Maybe Felicity wasn’t afraid of that, maybe she was afraid of what it meant introducing him to Donna. That she was introducing _her son_ to _her mother_. Sure, he already met Thea and Roy, who were a sister and a brother to her, but meeting her mother was different.

Felicity and Donna had a difficult past themselves after her father left, but Felicity always looked up at Donna. She wanted her approval and she worried that what she was doing with Lucas, how she was raising him, wasn’t going to be right according to Donna.

Felicity looked at her mother and saw her shed a few tears through her happy smile. She was babbling something about Lucas already acting like Oliver and it made Lucas laugh.

“You are funny.” He said and looked at Felicity. “She’s funny like you.”

“Aww!” Her mother cooed. “Felicity is my baby, of course she takes after the best!”

Oliver chuckled and went to rescue Lucas when Donna started to cover his face with kisses. “Alright, we’re going to get you something to drink, Donna. Right, buddy?” Lucas went to hug Oliver as he nodded, a smile still plastered on his face. “And get that lipstick off of your face.” He chuckled.

Donna turned to Felicity and engulfed her in a tight hug. “Oh, baby, he’s so cute. He’s such a sweet little guy, I’m so happy you adopted him.”

Felicity was finally able to relax and hugged back her mother. “We’re happy too.”

“I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.” Donna whispered, bringing tears to Felicity’s eyes. “I can’t imagine how hard it was for you and Oliver to overcome what you’ve been through. But not giving up and adopting that little angel was very brave and selfless and a wonderful act. I’m so proud of you.”

Felicity choked out a sob and tightened her hold on her mother.

“And I guess that starting to raise a four-year-old is harder than if he was a newborn.” Donna thought out loud. “He’s already formed and has a past. It can’t be easy for him nor for you and Oliver. And I’m so proud of your decision.”

Tears finally streamed down Felicity’s face. Donna didn’t know what kind of past Lucas had, but she still understood that it was a difficult situation.

“After meeting him... there was no choice to make.” Felicity whispered. “He deserves someone who can love him.”

“Yes, baby. And I know you two can give him that. I can see you both love him so much.”

Felicity nodded and still held on to her mother. “Yes, we do.”

Oliver and Lucas came back in the room, but they walked past them and went to play with his Legos on the carpet.

“Why are they crying?” Lucas whispered, his voice worried.

“Because they are happy.” Oliver gently told him, picking up a few bricks to help him with his work. “They tend to get a little emotional when they are together. You’ll get used to it and understand that it’s normal for them. But remember…” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “If you approach them when they are like this, they will pull you into their hug and not let go of you for a very long time.”

Lucas giggled. “But I like their hugs. And your hugs.”

Felicity saw Oliver smile at the boy. “I love your hugs too.”

Their son smiled widely and opened his arms. Oliver didn’t waste time and with a smile he picked him up, hugging him against his broad chest.

Donna pulled away and they both turned to look at the boys, one hand went to cover her heart as she sighed. “That is so beautiful.”

“I know.” Felicity agreed, her voice trembling with emotion.

As she looked at her husband and son, she couldn’t help but wonder again how she got so lucky to have them.

→

Two weeks later, Oliver needed to go back to work again. He didn’t really want to, but he couldn’t let his sister do all the hard work alone.

That day, Felicity went to wake up Lucas at their usual time and helped him in the bathroom to wash and get dressed. He was at ease, like every morning in the last few weeks, but when they reached the kitchen and Felicity started to warm up his milk, Lucas looked around with a frown.

“Where is Oliver?” He asked.

Felicity placed a bowl of cereals in front of him and he started to eat a few with his hands before she gave him a spoon.

“Remember what we’ve been telling you this week, honey? He had to go back to work.” She gently reminded him.

“Oh.” He said, his eyes looking down at his cereals.

She knew he probably felt like Oliver was already abandoning him, so she quickly got his milk and sat right next to him, a reassuring hand over his back.

“He’ll be back before lunch, don’t worry.”

Lucas nodded, but he still looked lost. Felicity knew it was going to be hard for him. Having both of them at home all the time for the last few weeks and one day he suddenly woke up without Oliver... Even if they warned him he wasn’t ready.

She kissed the top of his head.

“You should eat your breakfast before the milk gets cold. Then we’ll do whatever you want. Okay?”

He nodded and started to eat. When he was done, she stood, picked up his bowl and the mug and went to place them in the sink. Immediately, Lucas followed her, one hand tightly gripping her shirt.

He was looking at her with scared eyes and she could only imagine what he was thinking. Felicity bent down and picked him up. “Everything is fine, Lucas. Oliver will be back soon, I promise.”

He nodded again but he didn’t let go of her. Felicity kissed his cheek and decided to just do whatever he wanted. So, in order to distract him, they played with a few of different toys, but his head was somewhere else.

She tried her best to reassure him, and after a while he seemed to be doing better, even having fun while they played. But if she needed to leave the room for whatever reason, he followed her. He even followed her in the bathroom when she needed to pee, which was awkward to say the least.

The whole morning, he didn’t let her out of his sight, and she made sure to stay within reach.

When Oliver entered the house around midday, Lucas rushed to him and hugged his legs before he even had the chance to put down his briefcase.

“Hi, Lucas.” Oliver smiled at him, ruffling his hair.

“I missed you.” The boy whispered.

Oliver picked him up and kissed his cheek. “I missed you too, honey.”

“Do you have to go back?” Lucas asked sadly.

“Not until tomorrow, and it will only be for the morning.” Oliver reassured him.

With a quick glance at her, he knew that it had been a hard morning for Lucas because he wasn’t there. He kissed the boy again, holding him close. From the relief on his face, it seemed like his morning wasn’t much better than theirs.

“So, young man, what do you want to eat for lunch?”

→

He was spending all of his time with the two of them, and Oliver started to wonder if Lucas needed some ‘kids time’. After he mentioned that to his best friend, John and Lyla offered to bring Sara and JJ and let them play with Lucas. Felicity immediately agreed, thinking it was a good idea and Lucas was excited to meet some new friends. So they invited them for a barbecue.

When they arrived, Felicity went to open the door and welcomed them in. Oliver stood a few steps back with Lucas, and the boy tugged at his shirt.

“Oliver…” He whispered.

He looked down at the boy and saw him casting an apprehensive look in John’s direction. Oliver crouched next to him and put a reassuring hand on his back. “What is it?”

The boy leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “Mr. Daniels always said that black people are bad.”

Oliver sighed. Another thing to hate those bastards for. “No, Lucas. John is a good man. People are not bad based on the color of their skin or nationality.” He seemed to think about that for a moment. “The Daniels were just like me and Felicity, right?” He nodded. “And were they good?” He forcefully shook his head. “Then see? We can’t differentiate good or bad people from their skin. Alright?”

Lucas nodded, satisfied with his reasoning. Oliver stood again, resting his hands on Lucas’s shoulders as their friends approached them.

“Hi.” JJ greeted him, holding out his hand like John taught him. “I am JJ.”

Lucas looked at his hand before taking it. “I am Lucas.”

It was weird watching a 4 and a 6 years old shaking hands like adults, but it brought a smile on all of their faces.

“That is my little sister Sara.” He pointed at the two-year-old in Lyla’s arms, who hid her face in her mother’s neck. “And they are my mom and dad.”

“Hi.” Lucas timidly waved at them.

“Hi, Lucas. We are very happy to meet you.” John told him with a kind smile as Lyla waved at him.

Felicity went to stand closer and ran her hand through Lucas’s hair. “Why don’t you play with JJ while we start on the burgers?”

“Okay.” The boy motioned for JJ to follow him and together they went to play out in the garden.

As Felicity and Lyla gathered what they needed for their lunch, Oliver and John got the barbecue ready, far from where the kids were playing so they didn’t get hurt. As burgers and hot dogs were being cooked on the grill, Oliver and John sipped on their beers.

It was a strange feeling. Them cooking burgers, while Felicity and Lyla with Sara watched with enthusiasm Lucas and JJ kick the ball around as they played football. It was like in those silly movies Felicity liked to watch sometimes, and Oliver couldn’t help but think it was surreal.

“It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?” He heard John say next to him.

He looked at his friend and a smile appeared on his lips. “Yeah. We’ve waited for this moment for so long that… I keep fearing I’ll wake up in my bed and realize it was all a dream.”

John clapped him on his shoulder. “It’s all real, man. Enjoy it.”

Oliver laughed and took a sip of his beer. Lucas and JJ laughed when they collided and ended rolling on the grass.

“Be careful to not get hurt, kids!” Felicity told them from her chair under the gazebo.

“It takes more than that to get hurt.” Lyla said with a smile. “Don’t worry.”

John cleared his throat and turned to him. “How is it going with him?”

Oliver nodded. “Pretty well. At the beginning it was a little hard, with him getting used to be in a new house, with a new family and everything. But now… I think we’ve reached a good point.”

His friend nodded, thinking. “Well, you told us he had a rough start at life. I think it’s normal to encounter problems. Hell, me and Lyla have problems sometimes, and we raised those two kids from day one.”

Oliver closed his eyes and sighed. “I know, it’s just… It’s a little more complicated with him. We just need to be careful.”

After a moment of hesitation, Oliver heard his friend talking quietly. “His previous parents were assholes, weren’t they?”

Oliver looked at him. “What makes you think that?”

“I may have heard your conversation when we arrived earlier.” John calmly explained.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry about that, John.  He didn’t mean-”

His friend raised his hand to stop him. “Don’t, Oliver. He’s four, I know he doesn’t understand the meaning of racism. Someone put those words into his mouth, and I know it wasn’t you or Felicity.” He paused, letting him know he wasn’t offended. “Who were they?”

“The Daniels.” Oliver growled. “I don’t know much about them. All I know, is that they should have never adopted him. Nor the other two children that were with him.”

“They hurt him, didn’t they?” John spoke, careful to not being heard by the others.

Oliver hesitated. “How do you know?” He whispered.

“When he and JJ fell on the grass, his shirt rode up a bit. I saw the marks on his lower back.”

He should have known that John was going to catch up on that. Afterall, he ran security at QC, it was his job to notice details.

“Cigarettes?” He asked quietly.

“Courtesy of Mr. Daniels.” Oliver spat out bitterly. Oh, how he desired to burn that piece of shit with his own cigarettes in revenge.

“Bastard.” John shook his head.

“And it wasn’t only him. His wife… Lucas accidentally broke a vase and she used a piece of glass to cut him as punishment.”

John turned to him, rage showing on his face. “Are you kidding me?”

“I will never joke on something like this, John.” Oliver told him seriously.

“I know, it’s just…” He shook his head. “I’ll never understand how people can be so mean to kids.”

“And it wasn’t just that.”

Oliver told him everything they found out about his past, hoping that talking about it might help him, at least a little. John was supportive as always.

“Children have a way to sense when their parents are worried or scared. You need to be strong for him, so _he_ can be strong. And… I think you’re already doing an amazing job, man.”

His words brought a smile on Oliver’s face and seeing a matching one on Felicity’s face, he guessed Lyla was telling her the same thing.

But what made their smiles widen even more were Lucas’s laughs as he played with his new friend.

→

Felicity shivered.

Oliver ran his hand along her side, the tip of his fingers eliciting goosebumps to rise on her skin. His lips nibbled at her neck, leaving warm kisses as he traveled from there to her lips. His hips pressed against her, making her quietly moan.

“The two times in the shower this morning, weren’t enough to satiate your hunger?” She whispered, biting his earlobe, making _him_ shiver.

“I’ll never get enough of you.” He said staring at her. Love shining in his blue eyes.

“I love you so much.” She pulled him down for a deep kiss, her tongue running along his.

When Oliver pulled back, he looked down at her. “I love you.”

His hand slipped inside her sleeping shorts when he suddenly froze. His eyes widened but he didn’t move a muscle.

“Oliver, what-”

“Shh.” He gently interrupted her, his hand still half inside her shorts and half out.

She didn’t understand what the hell he was doing when _she needed him, like, right now_. Without a word, he pulled away and went to sit on his side of the bed, he turned on the light and placed a pillow on his lap. Felicity frowned looking at him, but his eyes were focused on the closed door. She followed his line of sight, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

She was about to ask him an explanation, when the doorknob slowly turned, and the door quietly opened. Lucas peeked inside the room.

“Felicity? Oliver?” He whispered. “Are you awake?”

Felicity sighed in relief. Thank god Oliver had super hearing, if Lucas had entered the room a few minutes later…

“Yes, honey, we are. We’re awake.” She confirmed, sitting up. “Is something wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “I can’t sleep.”

Felicity quickly glanced at Oliver and he was already nodding. She pulled back the covers -thank god they were still dressed!- and motioned for him to join them.

“Come here, sweetheart.”

Lucas walked to the bed and climbed on it, Felicity laid back and Lucas went to rest his head against her chest as she pulled back up the covers. Oliver was still sitting, the pillow still on his lap.

“You don’t sleep?” Lucas asked at Oliver.

He chuckled. “Uh, not yet, baby. But you go ahead.”

“Okay.” He moved against her until he was comfortable and then closed his eyes with a sigh.

“Do you want me to tell you a story?” Felicity asked him, running her hand through his hair to sooth him, just like she knew it helped him to relax. Lucas nodded against her. “Alright. What kind of story do you want me to tell you?”

With his eyes still closed, he frowned, thinking hard. “About a Queen.”

Oliver softly laughed. “A Queen?”

Lucas nodded. “Yes. And a King.”

“A Queen and a King.” Felicity hummed. “I think I know the perfect story.”

She looked at Oliver as he laid back, interested to hear her story as well.

“Once upon a time…”

Lucas giggled. “Why they always start like that?”

Felicity laughed. “Actually… I’m not sure, they just do. Do you want me to change it?” He shook his head. “Alright. So… Once upon a time, there was a young King. Most people didn’t think he was a good man, but a young girl knew better. She knew that he was good and had a good heart, and when they met… it was love at first sight.”

Felicity looked at Oliver and he was softly smiling at her. Yeah. Definitely love at first sight.

“The girl wasn’t a Queen?” Lucas asked.

“No, not yet. They had to get through a difficult time, and the King was lost for a while. But when he was finally able to go back to the girl… they found themselves in each other. They decided to get married, and she became a Queen.”

Felicity couldn’t help but smile at the wordplay.

“And they were happy?”

“They were, for a while. Then… life got complicated and… they lost something important.” She swallowed hard. “And they were very sad about it.”

She felt Oliver get closer to them, and he placed a comforting hand on the arm she had around Lucas. Felicity looked at her husband and found his eyes, love and support in them.

She took a deep breath and continued. “But one day, the King and the Queen found a young, handsome, very strong and very brave little Prince.”

Felicity smiled as she remembered the day.

“The little Prince was also sad. He had to face big bad Dragons, and he fought them, but he couldn’t defeat them, not completely. So, the King and the Queen helped the little Prince.”

“And they won?” Lucas asked innocently.

“Not at first. They had a long road ahead of them. It was difficult and many times they had to face obstacles. But the three of them helped each other. The little Prince made the King and the Queen very happy again. While the King and the Queen helped the little Prince to fight the bad Dragons. Together they were strong, and with time and patience, they defeated the bad Dragons. And the little Prince was finally free.”

“And happy?” Lucas asked, as he opened his eyes to look up at her sleepily.

Felicity ran a gentle hand over his cheek smiling down at him. “The King and the Queen did _everything_ in their power to make him happy. Just like _he_ made _them_ happy.”

Lucas sighed and closed his eyes again, his breathing slowing down. Felicity continued to run her hand through his hair.

“And they lived happily ever after.” Felicity whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head.

It wasn’t long before he was asleep between them, safe and protected. Felicity looked at Oliver and he gently kissed Lucas’s hair before lying back again to look at her. He smiled.

“It was a beautiful story, no matter what.” He quietly whispered.

She smiled at him. “I love it.”

“I love _you_.” He replied. “And Lucas.”

“I love you both too. More than I thought it was possible.”

Oliver carefully scooted closer until he was able to wrap an arm over her and Lucas, keeping them close. He leaned down and softly kissed her lips.

“Are you happy?” He checked.

Felicity nodded. “As long as you’re both in my life… I am.”

“Good.” He rested his head close to hers. “Me too. And I think he will be too.”

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, and... I'm sure you'll all find the next chapter pretty interesting...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing I'm gonna say before this chapter is... ENJOY!!

It had been three months since the day they adopted Lucas and things were going well. He was more and more at ease around them, not afraid of being hurt anymore.

He started to eat more, to Oliver’s delight, challenging him to try and find new recipes the boy might like.

Felicity was slowly teaching him how to read, and he successfully read a few simple words in a row without her help. He also learned to write their names.

The social worker from the center visited a few times, and she was happy to see all the progress he was making.

They made a habit of taking him to the park every weekend so he could play with other kids there, and often the Diggles and Thea and Roy joined them. He wasn’t afraid of John’s imposing figure anymore, he got to know him and realized he was a good man.

And he took a liking in Roy, who could understand him more than anyone. Sometimes they whispered something to each other, things that Felicity and Oliver still didn’t know about, but it was okay. Lucas seemed more relaxed and happier after their talks.

There weren’t particular accidents. When a door or a window slammed for whatever reason, he’d jump, but after Oliver and Felicity reassured him everything was fine, that’d be it.

Sometimes it happened that he thought he was doing something wrong and made to get in the closet again. But he stopped and thought about it, like Oliver told him to do, and talked to them. They reassured him every time that he didn’t have to hide in there, no matter what.

One night, there was a particularly bad storm.

Lights flashed through the windows as thunders loudly echoed outside. Lucas rushed into their room crying, scared of what was going on. He tightly clung to Oliver as he wrapped his arms protectively around the kid’s body, shielding him from threats that weren’t really there. Felicity ran her hand through his hair as they whispered soothing words to him, held him until he fell asleep and even after, cocooning him in their warmth as he trusted them to keep him safe.

→

One day, they were at the grocery store. Felicity was looking for some of her ‘lady products’ as Oliver and Lucas picked some snacks for the boy.

Lucas grabbed a box of cookies and showed it to him, his eyes shining. “Can we get this?”

Oliver took the box and looked at the ingredients. “Woah, that’s a lot of sugar, and many other things that you shouldn’t really eat. It’s so unhealthy, buddy, I can’t let you eat these ones.”

Lucas grabbed the box again. “Okay.” He answered sadly, putting it back in place.

“I didn’t mean you can’t eat cookies.” Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at him. “I’m sorry if I didn’t explain myself. I just meant to say that I can cook them for you.” He smiled down at the kid. “I know the perfect recipe for the perfect cookies. They are delicious and healthy, I promise.” He added with a wink.

Lucas smiled at that. “Really?”

“Yeah. Did I ever make a snack or a cake that you didn’t like?”

His smile widened. “No.”

“Trust me, young man, you’ll love them. We just need to hide them from Felicity because once she finds them… they magically disappear.” He whispered conspiratorially.

Lucas laughed as they walked to the next section of the store. Oliver was looking down at the list on his phone when he heard the tiniest gasp coming from Lucas. On alert, Oliver glanced at where he last saw him a few steps in front of him, but he wasn’t there. Instead, he felt the boy clutch his pants, hiding behind his legs, and he saw Lucas peering at something in front of them. He was about to ask him what was wrong, when a voice boomed from down the aisle.

“Lucas!”

Oliver looked in the direction of the voice and his entire body went rigid. He reached back with his hand to cup the back of Lucas’s head to reassure him as he glared at the couple approaching them.

“Didn’t think I’d see you around here.” Mr. Daniels spat out, earning a chuckle from his wife.

The man was as tall as Oliver, not as built but still an imposing figure, especially for someone like Lucas. The woman looked like she had one too many plastic surgeries. They both smelled like alcohol and cigarettes. It made Oliver's stomach turn.

Oliver stepped to the side, shielding Lucas from them. “Go. Away. Now.”

He was barely holding it together. Those people in front of him were the bastards that neglected Lucas, hurt him, terrified him. They were violating the restraining order and it didn’t seem like they cared about it.

Lucas was shaking behind him and Oliver wanted to get him as far away as he could from them.

The man ignored his words and tried to take a look at Lucas. “Already got someone to bother, you little brat?”

“Hey! Don’t talk to my son.” Oliver snapped.

The man leveled him with a glare. “I don’t think you know who I am-”

“Oh, I know exactly who you are…” He lowered his voice. “You piece of shit.”

The man continued to stare down at him, as the wife tried to catch Lucas’s attention, but Oliver just moved to hide him.

“You don’t even say hi to us? Is that how we raised you?” She reprimanded the boy, who pressed himself closer to Oliver.

“Stop talking to my son.” He growled.

He was ready to take action if they didn’t stop it immediately.

→

Felicity got way more things than planned, and that meant it took her more time to get what she needed, and her husband and son were a few steps ahead with the program. She rounded another corner and finally found them. But something was wrong.

They had their backs on her, Oliver’s muscles strained in his tight shirt as Lucas hid behind his legs. She instantly knew that Lucas was scared by the way he was shaking with his head down.

Felicity walked the few remaining steps with dread, as she noticed her husband’s stance. She knew that stance, it was the same one he resorted back to whenever someone disrespected her. One time a guy got mad at her because she didn’t acknowledge his compliment -compliment as in “what a nice piece of ass”- and Oliver beat him up. She was barely able to hold him back before the situation got out of control, and from the looks of it, this was one of those situations.

She quickly put her things in the cart, then carefully approached them.

“What’s going on here?” She asked.

Lucas immediately turned and reached for her, his eyes full of terror. Felicity picked him up and held him close to her chest as he hid his face in the crook of her neck. He was breathing unevenly and his body trembled against her.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here.” Felicity whispered to him, placing a kiss to his hair.

Oliver was still silent, but she saw the way his jaw worked and his hands clenched in tight fists at his sides. He looked ready to murder someone. She took a step to the side to see what caused such a reaction from him and Lucas, and Felicity felt blood drain from her face when she recognized the two people in front of them.

She could not believe that the Daniels had the nerve to approach Lucas after everything that happened.

Mr. Daniels was busy in his glare contest with Oliver, while the woman stared down at her and Lucas.

Felicity stepped once again behind Oliver, to shield Lucas from their prying eyes and placed a gentle hand over her son’s ear so he couldn’t hear what was being said.

“There’s a restraining order against you. You can’t stay here.” She half-whispered, anger bubbling up inside her.

“Says who?” Mrs. Daniels retorted.

“The law.” Felicity spat out. “You need to stay 5 miles away from him. And I highly suggest that you do exactly that.”

The man looked at her for the first time and she shivered. She had never seen such a cold stare coming from someone.

“That thing is bullshit. Ask my very expensive lawyers.” He said smugly. “We aren’t doing anything bad.”

“You hurt him. You abused him.” Oliver growled and took a threatening step closer to the man.

Felicity immediately rested a hand over his bicep to stop him from going any further. She leaned close so she could whisper in his ear, careful to not be heard by the others.

“Oliver… remember Lucas is here. Don’t do anything stupid.”

_Don’t do anything that might scare him._

Felicity knew that he wanted to fight back the man that hurt Lucas, but, as much as she wanted to let him do that, or even do it herself, they couldn’t do anything in front of the boy. She felt Oliver struggle with himself, but eventually he took a step back again, and Felicity placed back her hand over Lucas’s ear.

“What kind of person does those things to a child?” Oliver wondered, barely controlling his voice.

“They need to be corrected.” Mr. Daniels said. “If they get away with their mistakes, they’ll never learn. We-”

“He’s just a child!” Oliver exploded, his face red with rage.

“Do you see how many criminals walk our streets?” The woman asked. “If only their parents punished them more when they were younger-”

Felicity couldn’t listen to that bullshit. “Have you ever thought that people might become criminals _because_ they were abused when they were just children and not the other way around? And he’s just a _kid_. You don’t hurt a child, they are innocent!”

“Oh, come on!” The woman scoffed. “You want to tell me that he never did anything wrong in the time he has been with you?” She asked mockingly.

Mr. Daniels pointed a finger in Lucas’s direction. “He broke things, he colored everywhere, he cried all the times and he needed constant attention.”

“That’s why you decide to have a child.” Oliver told them, exasperated. “So you can take care of them and make them feel loved. You teach them what’s right and what’s wrong, in the right way, not by hurting them. They misbehave? Fine, talk to him, take away his favorite toy for a few days and he’ll learn not to do it again. And maybe he cried because it was _your_ _fault_ , because you made him scared and hurt him. _Repeatedly_.”

“Oliver…” Felicity whispered, seeing he was ready to punch the man.

Lucas tightened his arms around her neck so much that it was almost painful, and she kissed his temple. “It’s alright. We won’t let anything happen to you.” She whispered.

“We scared him? Oh, come on.” He mocked. “Hey, Lucas, what did I always tell you about lies? You lied to them, didn’t you? You little-”

“Don’t. You. Talk to him.” Oliver growled lowly, jabbing a finger against the man’s chest. “Don’t even look at him!” He yelled, only a few inches separating the two.

Felicity was sure her husband was going to attack the man. The situation was getting out of control and she honestly feared it was going to end with a man at the hospital and Oliver in jail.

Before she could think of a way to prevent that -the Oliver in jail part, she was happy if the idiot ended up in a hospital bed,- the manager of the store walked up to them. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?” He asked in an authoritative voice.

The Daniels muttered something, trying to save their asses, before walking away. Their last words were clear though. “This isn’t over.”

Only when they were out of the store, Felicity was able to breathe again. Oliver talked to the manager, quickly explaining about the restraining order, and asked if he could have the videos from the security cameras.

Felicity, instead, focused on Lucas. He was still holding her tightly, and she ran her hand through his hair, whispering reassuring words to him.

“It’s okay, sweetie. They’re gone, they can’t hurt you.”

The boy sniffled, still hiding his face in her neck. “They’re gone?”

Felicity kissed his forehead and nodded. “Yes, baby. You are safe. I am here, and daddy is here. We’ve got you.”

The word slipped past her lips, but Lucas wasn’t bothered by that.

Her husband finally turned to them when the manager went to get the videos. He took a deep, calming breath and stepped closer to them, placing one hand over Lucas’s back and one on Felicity’s arm.

“She’s right, Lucas. We are here with you.” He reassured the boy. “We weren’t going to let them near you. No one will ever hurt you again. _No one_.”

The child finally left the warmth of Felicity’s neck and they saw tears pooling in his deep blue eyes.

“No, honey, it’s okay. You don’t have to cry.” Felicity whispered to him, kissing his cheek.

“I was scared.” He mumbled.

“It’s all over, buddy.” Oliver ran his hand over the boy’s back, hoping to sooth him. “You don’t have to be scared. We are never going to let them near you again. And we will make sure this was the last time you ever saw them.”

He wrapped his arms around them both, and the safety he promised calmed down Lucas.

→

After the manager gave them a copy of the video, they quickly gathered their things and walked to the car. Felicity was buckling in Lucas as she continued to reassure him, while Oliver put their bags in the trunk. When he was done, he closed it and was about to walk to the driver door, when in the distance he saw the object of his anger walking to the back of the building.

The bastard was laughing at something his wife just said.

Oliver’s hands closed in tight fists. He looked back at his wife and son, who were quietly talking in the car. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He walked to the open window and leaned down, so he was eye-level with Lucas. He smiled at the boy.

“I forgot to buy the chocolate chips for your cookies. I’ll go and quickly grab them then we’ll go home, and we’ll make them, alright?”

Lucas nodded and Oliver leaned in to give him a kiss on his cheek and ruffle his hair.

“Oliver?” Felicity called him.

His eyes found hers, and she knew what he was up to.

“You two stay here, I’ll be right back.”

“Oliver...” She tried to warn him, but he was already jogging to the other side of the parking lot.

Oliver walked closer with quiet steps and checked his surroundings. There was no one else nearby, the place where the bastards parked their car was almost completely hidden, but there were cameras. He couldn’t do what he wanted to do.

“What an idiot.” Mr. Daniels was saying. “ _Take away his favorite toy,_ blah blah blah, _make them feel loved_ …” He scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“Hey!” Oliver snapped.

The man turned around and rolled his eyes. “Of course, he comes here. What? Are you going to punch me?” He laughed. “Go on. Do it. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

_Don’t._

_Think about Lucas._

His conscience, that somehow sounded a lot like Felicity’s voice, was right. He knew it was right. If he hurt the man who was standing in front of him it might endanger the restraining order, and the idiot had money, probably more than Felicity and himself. He could probably build a case against Oliver for a simple punch. And the cameras didn’t help him.

The bastard laughed again. “You don’t have the guts, uh? Just like that little brat. Never fought back.”

_Don’t._

“You know… Whenever he did something wrong, he just stood there and took his punishment. The other two monsters always hid. But he didn’t.” The idiot smiled. “I think he just enjoyed being burned with cigarettes…”

_Don’t._

“Eating hot sauce…”

_Don’t._

“Being cut with glass! That was memorable, babe.” He beamed at his wife who had a proud smile on her face.

Oliver closed his eyes.

_Lucas. Think about Lucas._

“All those times… He stood there and took his punishment.” He shook his head in disgust. “So weak.”

“No.” Oliver rasped out. “No, that is being brave. The two of you were weak for everything you’ve done to three innocent children.”

“I am not weak!” Daniels said outraged.

“Yes, you are.” Oliver countered. “You are a pathetic, weak, little bastard who thinks that hurting a child instead of teaching him what’s right and what’s wrong is the easy way to raise him.”

“You shut your mouth!” The man yelled and raised his fist to punch Oliver.

Oliver almost smiled. He let him deliver two punches, then Oliver blocked his next fist.

_Now._

He gathered all the rage he felt and punched back. One. Two. Three. Four. Five punches. The man stared at him with wide eyes as he cowered back, and the woman screamed out for help, but no one was within earshot.

It wasn’t nearly close to what he wanted to do to the bastard, but the broken nose had to do. And the wife was lucky Oliver wasn’t a woman beater, because she deserved to pay too for what she had done.

“This isn’t over!” Daniels said.

“You’ll hear from our lawyers!” His wife added, before they sprinted away with their car.

_Cowards._

Oliver went back to his own car. He sat behind the wheel and smiled back at Lucas. The boy frowned.

“You didn’t get the chocolate chips?”

“No, they were out of it. But I just remembered that we still have some at home, so I can still make you your cookies.” Oliver winked at Lucas and he gave him a small smile.

He turned to his wife, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression. She reached for her purse and pulled out her tablet and headphones.

“Hey, sweetie. Do you want to watch some cartoons on our way home?”

The boy nodded and once they were sure he couldn’t hear them, they turned to look at each other as one.

“How is he?” Oliver whispered.

“Fine for now. I don’t think he fully realized what happened, but it will catch up to him soon. We’ve got to keep an eye on him.”

Oliver nodded, having thought the same thing. Felicity ran a gentle hand over his left cheek, where he probably was going to have a bruise.

“I wish I could say that you shouldn’t have done that, but… I’d be lying.” Felicity told him.

“Well, he attacked first.” Oliver told her. “I was just defending myself.”

Felicity hummed. “Well, was that a problem if _you_ attacked him first?”

“Yes… Because in that case, he was going to send his lawyers against me. There were cameras. He’s filthy rich, he would have won that case.”

“Who knows… maybe someone would have deleted those videos if you attacked him.” Felicity said nonchalantly as she took her phone from where it rested on her leg and placed it in her purse, never looking away from him.

Oliver smiled at her. “Thank you.” He whispered.

“No. Thank _you_.” She softly replied.

He put the car in motion and started to leave the parking lot.

“Oh, by the way…” Felicity continued. “They might be rich, but… now they are 50.000 times less rich.”

Oliver quickly glanced at her. “Are they?”

“Yeah… And you know a funny coincidence? The center is now 50.000 times better. Karen must be thinking she has visions.”

Oliver smiled and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.

What they just did wasn’t going to fix anything. Lucas wasn’t going to suddenly behave like nothing ever happened to him, he wasn’t going to forget about it, and he wasn’t going to trust strangers easily.

But it was going to make them feel better knowing that they avenged Lucas in their own ways, even if just a little.

→

When they arrived back at home, Oliver immediately called the center and asked Karen about the restraining order. They should have dealt with it as soon as they adopted Lucas, but they were so distracted by the thought of bringing a son at home that they completely forgot to ask about it.

Karen kindly gave them the number of a man they should talk to, Mr. Thompson, and… she said something about a surprise for Lucas? That didn’t make any sense, but they still called the man and they agreed to meet him the next day at the park.

During the afternoon everything seemed fine. They were able to distract Lucas as he helped them making cookies, but when the time to go to bed arrived, he became agitated. He couldn’t fall asleep and was haunted from bad memories, afraid that those bastards were going to hurt him again.

Oliver and Felicity kept him close, huddled in the middle of their bed as they laid by his sides, reassuring him that they were going to protect him from anyone, at any cost. That way he was able to get some sleep.

→

The next day, while they waited for Mr. Thompson to show up, Oliver and Lucas convinced Felicity to play with them at baseball. She wasn’t good, they all knew it, but she wanted to make Lucas happy again. And they were able to. Lucas’s laughs every time she complained about her coordination were worth getting hit in the face with the ball a few times. They were still playing when they were interrupted.

“Lucas!”

The boy turned to the voice and they saw a seven-year-old running to them, followed by a man and a woman.

Felicity immediately placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, afraid of them being a threat, especially after what happened the previous day. Her fear was replaced by relief when she recognized the kid running to them.

“Nate!” Lucas yelled, starting to run until he collided with the other boy and hugged him. As Felicity and Oliver got closer, Lucas turned to them. “Oliver, Felicity, he’s Nate!” He was so happy to finally see his stepbrother again. He looked at the seven-year-old one more time. “They’re my parents! They adopted me!”

“Wow! That’s cool!” Nate exclaimed and hugged Lucas again.

Oliver and Felicity watched the scene in front of them with smiles on their faces. It was the first time he referred to them as his parents. The other couple approached them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Queen, right?” The man asked, holding out his hand.

“Yes, that’s us.” Oliver shook his hand. “You must be Mr. Thompson.”

“Josh, please.”

“Oliver. And this is my wife Felicity.” His hand went to rest against the lower of her back as he introduced her.

“Nice to meet you.” She said shaking Josh’s hand.

“The pleasure is mine. This is Mary, my wife.” He introduced the woman and they shook hands too.

“So that was the surprise Karen was talking about.” Oliver wondered. “You are Nathan’s adoptive parents.”

“Yes.” Mary smiled. “She told us you were going to give us a call, and I can’t tell you how happy we are that Lucas finally has a family, one that actually takes care of him.”

Oliver and Felicity smiled at each other.

“She also told us you needed to talk to me about the restraining order against the Daniels.” Josh told them seriously.

“Yes.” Oliver answered with a sigh.

“How about we start from the beginning?” Josh motioned at a table with benches nearby.

Felicity turned to the boys. “Lucas, honey, stay close you guys, alright?”

“Okay, Felicity!” He answered distractedly as he started to talk animatedly to his stepbrother.

They all sat around the table and Josh started to talk. “The center called me around 9 months ago and informed me about the kids’ case. I am a lawyer, and they needed to get the restraining order against those jerks. I’ve worked with Karen on similar cases before, and after everything was settled with the restraining order… I met Nate by accident.” He smiled at the memory and took Mary’s hand in his. “We’ve always wanted to adopt a child and after meeting him… We just knew we needed to adopt him. I can’t explain how, but…”

“There was just something about him.” Felicity guessed and the couple nodded. “I know. It was the same with us and Lucas.” She looked at her husband and they smiled at each other. “Karen told us about his past, but we… it just strengthened our want to show him that there are good people who can love him.”

“Yeah.” Mary agreed. “They’ve been through a lot, but we are here for them now.”

“I just wish we could protect them from meeting those bastards again.” Oliver muttered through clenched teeth.

“You’ve met them?” Josh asked worriedly and glanced at his wife.

“Yesterday. We were at the grocery store and they just walked to me and Lucas, like we were old friends.” Oliver shook his head. “They terrified Lucas once again.”

Mary sighed. “It wasn’t a coincidence. The same thing happened to us.”

She looked at her husband and he explained. “One time, that idiot showed up in front of our house. He got right into my face because I was calling the police on him, but he fled before they arrived. Another time, his wife approached Nate when he was here at the park with his friends and my sister. When he came home, he told us everything, but both times we couldn’t prove that the Daniels violated the restraining order. We heard from Lizzie’s adoptive parents, it happened to them too.”

“What the hell do they want from these kids?” Felicity asked. “They suffered way too much already, and… I just don’t understand what they want from them.”

“Terrify them, that’s what they want.” Josh growled.

“But they probably want to save their reputations after all the mess they’ve done.” Mary told them. “Back a few years ago, they were CEOs of the most powerful company in Coast City. They had a few problems with some employers who accused them of being racists, and even accused them of beating up people if they didn’t get their work done right.” She said disgusted.

“Yeah, the Daniels risked being fired when word spread out about their methods.” Josh sighed. “Trying to clean up their name, they started to adopt children. They thought that it was going to show to the people that they were good and didn’t do those things, pictured them as good Samaritans. Too bad they were not. Their plan didn’t work, and they lost the company. So, they were left with no successful careers ahead, and three kids to take care of. I don’t think I have to tell you how they treated them.”

“No, we…” Oliver took a deep calming breath. “We know everything. Every ‘parenting’ method they used. Every punishment.”

“Why the police can’t do something to stop them from harassing the kids again?” Felicity asked.

“Because they have good lawyers and a lot of money.” Josh stated. “Their lawyers are sharks, they can get away with anything.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to put our kids in danger, but if only we could get a picture of the Daniels near the kids...”

Both Oliver and Felicity sat up straighter at that.

“Can we do something if we have a picture?” Oliver asked, a flare of hope starting to shine.

“Well, yes. It would prove that they violated the restraining order, could be enough to send them to jail for a while.” Josh confirmed. “But, like I said, I don’t want our kids in any danger, even if-”

“No, no. There’s no need to get them near those people.” Felicity smiled widely. “We have proofs that they approached us.”

She quickly grabbed her tablet and showed them the videos from the grocery store that the manager gave to them.

Both Josh and Mary glared at the screen as they watched the scene, but when it was over Josh nodded with a smile.

“This can be enough to get them behind bars for a long time.”

Oliver and Felicity looked at each other and smiled, then looked at Lucas as he happily played with Nate. They were getting close to finally give him some peace.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've all been waiting for that to happen, right??! Oliver beating up Daniels and Felicity going "Bitch with wi-fi"... We needed that!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this again because I'm an idiot and while I was on my phone I deleted the chapter after posting it the first time!
> 
> I'm so sad the main story has come to an end so soon, BUT I promise to write one-shots. There is space for more, and I already have a few ideas... I'll update this fic, so make sure to stay subscribed if you want to read more of it.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

_6 months later._

Happy laughs echoed in the house. It was Lucas’s birthday, and Oliver and Felicity wanted to make it a day he wasn’t going to forget. So they organized a big party, and everyone was there.

Thea and Roy, Donna, John, Lyla, JJ and Sara, some kids Lucas liked to play with at the park, Josh and Mary with Nate. There were even Lizzie and her parents.

After the accident at the grocery store, Josh and Mary helped Oliver and Felicity to get in contact with Lizzie’s adoptive parents. After meeting a few times, they all agreed that the three kids seemed happy when they were all together and needed to see each other more. So, they started to meet at least once a week, whether that was at the park, for an ice cream or at someone’s house, and the kids had a good time at every visit.

The adults all worked together against the Daniels. It was a long and tiring legal fight, their lawyers were really good and used every loophole they could find to dismiss the accuses.

Oliver risked being sued for punching Mr. Daniels, but Josh was an outstanding lawyer himself and prevented that from happening, showing to the judge the security videos from the grocery store -that the Daniels tried to get rid of, but Felicity was able to save them- and proving that Oliver was defending himself. When the lawyers working for the Daniels tried to dismiss that proof again, the judge started to see clearly on the case. It was the first win against the Daniels, and after that, everything started to collapse for them.

The police continued their investigation and found out the truth on every violation of the restraining orders. The couple was finally arrested for doing that more than once and for abuse, stalking and harassment. The police also found out that the Daniels were involved in money laundering, which added a few more years to their time in jail.

According to Josh, most inmates didn’t like child abusers, so they weren’t going to have an easy stay behind bars.

After years, they were finally free. Lucas, Nate and Lizzie were free. They weren’t going to be bothered anymore by those monsters, they didn’t have to live with the fear of being hurt again by them. Or by anyone else, because they were finally being taken care of by people who loved them, who did and would do anything for them.

→

_The battle was over._

_The Daniels were officially behind bars and they were going to stay there for a very long time._

_After leaving the courthouse, Oliver and Felicity immediately went back home. With smiles so wide that they hurt their face, they went out to the garden where Lucas was still playing with Thea and Roy._

_His sister and her boyfriend didn’t have to ask how it went, they just smiled and relief washed over their faces._

_When Lucas noticed them, he ran to them and jumped into Oliver’s arms. “I missed you.”_

_“We missed you too, honey.” Oliver replied, running his hand over the boy’s head as Felicity kissed his cheek._

_“But we are here with you now.” She told him. Lucas reached for her and she took him from Oliver’s arms. “We are here, and we are never going to leave you. And no one is going to bother you ever again.”_

_“Promise?” Lucas asked with big, hopeful eyes._

_“Yes, we promise.” She held him close to her chest and he closed his eyes with a sigh._

_Oliver kissed the top of his head. “We promise.”_

_All those months, working against the people who hurt him, had been hard for Lucas. He felt that something was off, and they were up to something, but Oliver and Felicity reassured him as best as they could without worrying him. It didn’t always work, and sometimes, he admitted of feeling like he was just causing troubles._

_Oliver and Felicity reached out to the counselor of the center to help him, and after a few talks with her, he seemed to be reassured, at least a little._

_But the couple still wanted to show him that they wanted to make him happy more than anything in the world._

_Looking at each other, they silently agreed that they were going to do it today._

_“Hey, buddy… Do you know what day is today?” Oliver asked, catching the kid’s attention._

_“No.” Lucas quietly replied looking at him._

_“Today, you are going to receive a big gift.” He teased._

_Lucas gasped. “What gift?”_

_“It’s a surprise.” Felicity told him with a wink, which made him smile. “Do you want to go get it now?”_

_The boy nodded enthusiastically. So, after thanking and saying goodbye to Thea and Roy, they drove to their destination. Lucas didn’t understand where they were until they entered the building._

_He gasped when he saw the place was filled with dogs._

_“I can have a puppy?” Lucas asked them surprised._

_“Yes, sweetheart.” Felicity told him with a smile._

_The counselor had suggested that a pet might help him emotionally, as some sort of pet therapy. So, they decided to get him a dog, which they remembered he liked. They visited the place a few days earlier and found out that all the dogs were child-friendly, and the chances of finding the perfect dog for Lucas were high._

_“Go, have a look.” Oliver suggested. “See which one you like.”_

_“We are right behind you.” Felicity reminded him._

_With a big smile on his face, Lucas turned and started to look at the dogs. He walked slowly, watching every single one as they ran in the vast garden. He stopped when he noticed a puppy sitting a few feet away from them. They watched as the boy approached the golden Labrador._

_The puppy wagged its tail and when Lucas was close enough to almost touch it, the dog let out a small bark. Lucas took a small jump back and Oliver was quick to put a reassuring hand on his back, crouching next to him._

_“It’s okay, buddy. It’s not going to bite you.” He reached out and ran his hand over the puppy’s back. “See? You just need to remember to be gentle. Try.”_

_Lucas tentatively reached out and ran his hand through the dog’s short coat, a smile formed on his lips._

_“It’s soft.”_

_“Yeah. Try again.”_

_Lucas ran his hand over it one more time and the puppy turned to lick his hand, making Lucas laugh. Oliver stood again and went to wrap an arm around his wife as they saw a girl approach them with a smile._

_“I see Arrow seems to like you.”_

_“Arrow?” Lucas asked as he continued to pet the puppy._

_“Yes, that’s his name. Arrow is a little boy, born just over a month ago. He’s the youngest puppy we have here.”_

_Lucas frowned. “But arrows are dangerous.”_

_Oliver smiled. Their smart little boy._

_“Yes, but this one is not. He’s just fast as an arrow when he runs, even if he’s so young and small, that’s why we called him that.”_

_The puppy stood from his sitting position and went closer to Lucas, raising a paw to rest it on Lucas’s leg as he licked the boy’s hand again._

_“It’s funny.” He said giggling._

_As their son played with the dog, the girl told them about Arrow, that he was calm, sweet and very affectionate, which they could clearly see from the way he interacted with Lucas._

_Lucas laughed when Arrow tried to put both of his front paws on his chest but failed and ended on the grass. Carefully, Lucas picked him up and held him in his arms, holding him close to his chest. He stood with the puppy and turned to them._

_“Can I keep him?” He asked hopefully._

_They both smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want to see other dogs first?” Felicity still asked him, already knowing his answer._

_Lucas shook his head. “No. I like Arrow.” The dog barked, making Lucas laugh._

_“Do you know that this one will grow so much that he will be taller than you?” She teased and Lucas gasped._

_“Really?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_Lucas giggled. “That’s cool.”_

_Both Oliver and Felicity smiled. Apparently, he already made his choice._

_→_

The birthday party was slowly dying down. People were starting to leave as the late hours were getting closer, but Lucas was still drawing with JJ, Sara, Nate and Lizzie as Arrow rested near them, having entertained the kids all day. The adults were talking with Oliver and Felicity, complimenting them for the nice party. Everyone had fun, free of any preoccupation.

They were deciding on a date for the next barbecue, when the kids ran into the kitchen and went to each parent, showing them their drawings.

Lucas proudly showed his to Oliver and he smiled widely as he took in the picture. It was the three of them, playing baseball at the park, Lucas wearing the blue jersey with Smoak on it. It was spelled ‘Smaok’ but it didn’t matter. It was the thought that he always wanted to wear that every time they played at the park that mattered. And even more important, were the words on top of the picture.

_Daddy. Lucas. Mommy._

In the last few weeks, Oliver and Felicity started to refer to each other as ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.

_I think mommy will like that._

_You can ask your dad about it._

_Mommy would really like a hug._

_I know daddy is really proud of you._

Lucas still called them by their first names, but that was fine. Oliver and Felicity were going to give him all the time he needed to adjust to them, even if it took him years. As long as he was happy, they were happy.

But seeing those words on his drawing… It felt amazing.

“That’s a very nice job, buddy.” Oliver praised him, ruffling the boy’s hair and pulling him close for a hug. “You should show this to mommy.”

With a wide smile, Lucas took the paper and rushed to Felicity on the other side of the table. Felicity took the drawing from him and immediately her eyes shone with tears. She was always the emotional one when he did something to show them that he cared about them.

“I put your shirt too.” He pointed at the item on the picture.

“This is beautiful, sweetheart.” She told him and hugged him tightly. “I love you so much.”

Lucas blushed and then laughed when she covered his face with kisses.

“You like it?” He checked. His smile widened when she nodded.

“Of course, I love it. And daddy loves it too.”

The boy turned to look at Oliver and he received another beaming smile.

“Can we put it on there?” He asked pointing at the fridge, which was already covered by drawings he made in the months he stayed with them.

“I think we should put this in a frame and hang it right next to the picture we have of this moment.” She suggested. It was way more important than the other drawings. “What do you say?”

He vigorously nodded and raised on his tiptoes to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

Felicity chuckled and smiled to herself. He had changed so much in the 11 months he had been with them, but at the same time, he didn’t change at all. He was still the boy who didn’t talk much and liked to color his books, but he also talked to them about what went through his mind and easily took part to activities that involved other people. He was more extroverted, and he had a confidence that was taken away from him in his early years of life.

Now he leaned on them more easily, he trusted them and cared about them. When he sensed that something upset them, he offered hugs and his action brought instant smiles on their faces.

And, finally, he saw them as his parents, as his protectors, as people who would do anything for him.

Felicity watched as Lucas went to Oliver and gave him a kiss too, making her husband smile widely. When the boy ran away to play some more with his friends, Oliver looked at her and reached across the table to grab her hand. She turned her hand in his and squeezed it tightly as they smiled at each other.

They were finally living their dream.

→

Felicity gently placed Lucas on his bed, careful not to jostle him much. He was already half asleep, tired after spending his big day running around with the other kids and the dog. She pulled up the covers and ran a hand through his hair, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Happy birthday, baby.” She whispered. “Love you.”

She stood straight again and turned to leave the room when she heard his quiet whisper.

“I love you, mommy.”

Felicity stopped and looked back at Lucas. He had his eyes closed, but a contented soft smile was on his lips.

It was the first time he said those words out loud. She knew he loved her, but actually hearing that… Warmth spread through her chest as her heart started to beat faster, the feeling of tears welling up in her eyes made her lean down once more to give him another kiss.

“I love you so much, honey.” Felicity told him in a choked-up voice.

She stayed with him a few more minutes, not ready to leave him after what he just said to her. Eventually, he fell asleep, and only after his breathing was deep and even, she left the room but didn’t go very far. Emotions overtook her and she leaned against the wall in the corridor, right next to his door. She slid down to sit on the floor and sobs shook her body. She covered her mouth with a hand and tried to be quiet and not wake him up.

After all those years of disappointments and losses, she finally had a son who loved her. It was the best feeling in the world.

Oliver found her like that a couple of minutes later, after everyone left. He rushed to her when he saw her sitting on the floor, his hands cupping her cheeks.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He quickly glanced in Lucas’s room and when he saw that the boy was quietly sleeping in his bed, he focused on her.

Felicity looked up at him and smiled through her tears. “He said that he loves me, and he called me mommy.”

A smile formed on Oliver’s lips as tears welled up in his eyes. He sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple as she continued to cry in happiness.

“I’m so happy he told you that.” He whispered to her.

She sniffled and looked up at him. “I’m sorry he didn’t tell you first-”

“Shh, no. It’s right this way.” He reassured her. “ _You_  found him first. He trusted you first. It’s only right he loved you first.”

“He loves you too, you know.”

“I know.” He confirmed. “But you deserve it more.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You deserve his love too.  _You_  were the first one who made him feel safe.” Felicity reminded him.

Oliver smiled at her and kissed her lips. “He will tell me when he’s ready. Just knowing that he cares about us is enough for me.”

That was the best day of her life, along with the days Oliver came back to her from the island and the day they met Lucas.

→

“Be careful!” Felicity called out to him.

“Okay, mommy.” Lucas said as he ran outside to join Oliver on the sidewalk.

His words made Oliver smile. It was only a week after his fifth birthday, a week where he called Felicity ‘mom’ or ‘mommy’. He will never get tired of hearing that.

“I am ready.” Lucas declared once he stood in front of him. He was wearing a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. He looked cute.

“That’s the spirit.” Oliver smiled at him and motioned the green bike he was holding. “Alright, hop on, my little man.”

Lucas followed his instruction and got ready to ride his bike. They tried once, just a few weeks after the adoption, but Lucas fell a few times and got scared of falling. Oliver didn’t force him to try again, knowing fully well that he needed to do things at his pace. But a few days after his birthday, Lucas told him he wanted to give it one more try. Oliver couldn’t be prouder of his son for wanting to get over his fears.

“Okay. Do you remember what I taught you? Or do you want me to remind you?” Oliver checked.

“No, I remember.” He nodded firmly.

“Okay.” Oliver nodded. “When you’re ready.”

The street was calm, no cars around, only a few joggers passed nearby, so riding his bike there wasn’t going to be a danger. Lucas tried a few times, his legs working quickly, and his eyes were focused in front of him as Oliver hovered close, making sure he didn’t fall. When he felt confident enough, he told Oliver he was ready.

Against his first instinct of protecting him, Oliver let him ride the bike alone. He made it 15 feet before he fell.

“Are you alright, Lucas?” Oliver asked worriedly, ready to go and check on him.

The boy stood again and nodded. “I can do it.”

“I know, buddy. I believe in you.” He told him firmly.

Lucas hopped back on his bike and tried again.  After a few feet, he fell again. He stood, hopped back on the bike and made it 20 feet, then he had to stop, but he planted his feet on the ground, so he didn’t fall. He repeated the process a few times, always putting his feet down. Then he turned his bike around, a determined look on his face, and started to kick the pedals.

10 feet.

20 feet.

30 feet.

40 feet.

Oliver smiled.

50 feet.

60 feet.

70 feet.

Lucas laughed as he passed next to Oliver and went a few more feet forward before taking a wide turn and went back to Oliver, the bike shook a little but he didn't fall.

“I made it! I can ride a bike!” He stopped and got off the bike, jumping into Oliver’s arms.

“Yes, you can, Lucas. I’m so proud of you.” Oliver kissed his cheek as the boy laughed happily.

“Thank you, daddy!”

_Daddy._

The first time he said it. Felicity was right. It was the best feeling in the world.

Oliver sighed and kept Lucas close, enjoying the moment.

All those nights he and Felicity cried because of their loss, the times they thought they were never going to have this life, and those times they were ready to accept it wasn’t going to happen… They will never forget those times, but Lucas’s presence made it better.

Oliver couldn’t imagine a life without him.

“I love you, Lucas.” Oliver whispered against the side of the boy’s head.

“I love you too.” He answered back, a smile evident in his voice.

Yes. Definitely the best feeling in the world.

→

_Two years later._

Lucas was nervous.

He was sitting on the chair next to the hospital bed, his legs continuously swung in trepidation as he bit his lower lip in worry.

He looked at his mother as she laid on the bed. She was pale, her eyes kept falling shut and she looked tired. Sensing his worry, she reached out with a hand and Lucas immediately took it.

“Everything is okay, baby.” She smiled weakly at him.

He didn’t believe her.

He heard the doctors talking. He heard the words ‘risks’, ‘blood’, and ‘urgent’. He was only seven, but he knew those words weren’t good.

His lip quivered as he stared at her. “Are you going to die, mommy?” He asked on a sob.

She sighed and opened her arms. Lucas quickly jumped down from the chair and hopped on the bed, hiding his face in her neck, careful of the wires attached to her.

“No, Lucas. I’m not going anywhere.” She reassured him with a kiss on the top of his head. “And neither is Mia.”

Lucas heard the door opening and he looked back. His father was smiling down at the baby he carried in his arms. Mia. His baby sister.

Hidden under a layer of soft covers, Lucas could barely see the face of the baby. As his father sat next to him on the bed, Lucas sat up straight and tried to take a closer look.

“Lucas… This is your baby sister. Mia.” He announced as he held out the baby for him to take.

He looked at his mother. “You don’t take her first?”

She shook her head. “I’ve already held her for a while. Now it’s your turn.”

Lucas turned back to his father and wrapped his arms around the small bundle of covers, careful to not hug her too tightly, but afraid of dropping her. His mother kept an arm around his back to keep him steady, while his father had his hand under Mia’s small body to secure her.

Her eyes were closed, a frown on her face, soft puffs of air leaving her slightly open lips.

“She looks angry.” Lucas noted.

His parents softly laughed.

“Well, she was lying comfortably for almost nine months.” His mother pointed out. “Now she left that comfort.” His sister’s face seemed to relax. “But she found another kind of comfort in your arms, see?”

Lucas nodded, amazed by the small baby. “Hi, Mia. I’m your big brother.” He whispered.

The child continued to sleep, but Lucas didn’t care. He just held her as he stared down at her with a smile.

Since the moment his parents told him he was going to have a sibling, he couldn’t wait to meet them. They told him more than once that they were afraid of scaring him, that maybe he was going to feel threatened by the new member of the family, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not once he felt threatened, not once he thought Oliver and Felicity were going to take him back to the center. That was not who they were.

 _Our two little miracles._  That was what they called Lucas and the baby.

He knew that years ago they lost a baby and that was why they adopted him, so when they told him about the pregnancy, he was happy for them. And he was happy about getting a sibling even if it worried him, just a little.

He loved Nate and Lizzie as brother and sister, but they were two years older than him. He didn’t know what it meant having a younger sibling. So, he asked his father how it was to have auntie Thea as a younger sister. He told him that it was one of the most beautiful things in the world, and his auntie said the same thing about having a big brother like Oliver.

“I can’t wait for you to come home with us.” He whispered. “We have a big house, and a big garden, and a lot of toys, and an amazing dog. You’re going to love Arrow very much, and when you will grow you will play with him too. He helps me sometimes, and he will help you too if you need it.”

He was still staring down at Mia with a smile, when his parents shared a quick kiss, and Lucas saw tears on their faces.

“I love you.” They said to each other, before turning to him.

“We love you so much, Lucas.” His mother told him. “And we love your sister.”

“Please, don’t ever think that we’ll love the two of you differently.” His father reminded him again. “You are both our children. The same way, blood or not.”

Lucas nodded. They already told him that, more than once, and he believed them every time. Ever since the adoption, ever since he became Lucas Queen, he believed they cared deeply about him.

He didn’t know why his previous families treated him the way they did. Two families abandoned him, and the other hurt him. He had no idea why they did that.

But he knew two things.

One. They didn’t deserve him.

Two. Oliver and Felicity were never going to hurt him in any way. Not physically and not emotionally. They were the best parents he could ever hope for, and he and Mia were so lucky to have them.

Lucas’s smile widened when Mia let out a sudden yawn, her face scrunching up.

“Are you happy, Lucas?” His mother asked him.

He nodded. “I’m very happy.”

And he knew his parents were too.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the first part of this fic. I enjoyed writing it, notwithstanding the delicate topic. It made me cry, it made me laugh and I hope you liked it too.
> 
> Just like I hope you will enjoy what will come next. I'm not sure when I'll update, I still need to write, but I promise I will update... _And I keep my promises!_ ;)
> 
> Until then, thank you for the support!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!! As promised, here's the first one-shot.
> 
> This is mainly Felicity-Lucas, but Oliver is there too. Set around a few months after Lucas's fifth birthday from last chapter (and definitely before the pregnancy).
> 
> Enjoy!

It had been a few months since the day they finally put the Daniels behind bars and things were great.

Oliver and Felicity immediately noticed the change in Lucas after he got confirmation that those monsters were never going to hurt him again in any way, for real this time. He seemed happier, more energic and relaxed, and, more importantly, he seemed free.

Free of his past, free of the worries, free of those monsters haunting him.

The nightmares started to happen less frequently, he didn’t get scared as easily as before, and the best part of everything… He laughed. Lucas started to laugh a lot.

He laughed when he saw something funny on tv. He laughed when he played with Arrow in the garden. He laughed when they all played at home or at the park. He laughed when he and Oliver joked on Felicity’s last disaster in the kitchen. He laughed at Oliver’s confused face when he and Felicity talked about the last Disney movie they watched but Oliver didn’t understand the reference.

Lucas laughed every day because of something.

Felicity and Oliver couldn’t be prouder of the young man he was slowly becoming. He was always polite, with both friends and strangers, and he never threw a tantrum.

He never asked much but, as time passed, he slowly started to ask for things, small things, like certain snacks, or a toy he saw in a store, or a shirt he liked. Oliver and Felicity agreed to not spoil him much, so nine times out of ten they said yes, but once in a while they said no. Lucas always accepted the no. And for that same reason, after a couple of days, they surprised him with whatever it was they ‘refused’ to buy him. Needless to say, Lucas was ecstatic at every surprise and continuously thanked them, with words, hugs and kisses. The bright smile that showed up on his face was worth it, and maybe spoiling him wasn’t such a bad thing.

Most of the times he was happy, but there were also bad days. They usually happened when he had a nightmare the night before, or after something upset him. Those days he didn’t talk much, he just colored his books or cuddled with them or the dog. But the next day he woke up and a smile was on his face once again, the bad day already forgotten.

Today, though, was one of those days.

It was just over 7:45 in the morning, Oliver was already on his way to work for an important meeting, while Felicity was sitting at the kitchen counter working on her laptop.

She heard little feet softly shuffling toward her, turning around on the stool she saw Lucas walking to her, one hand rubbing sleepily his eyes.

“Hey, sweetheart.” She greeted him with a smile. “What are you doing up so early?” She stood, bent down to kiss the top of his head and ran her fingers through his messy hair.

Lucas shrugged. “Can’t sleep.”

She frowned.

_Oh-oh._

“Why, what’s wrong, honey?”

“Don’t know. I tried to sleep again, but I can’t.” He mumbled.

“Did you have a nightmare?” She asked worried, but that was unlikely because usually she and Oliver heard him and woke him up, or he came into their bedroom to seek comfort.

The boy shook his head.

“Does something hurt?” Felicity caressed his cheek, then his forehead to check him for a fever, but he was cool. Her eyes looked all over his body, as if she could see if something was actually hurting him.

But Lucas shook his head again. “No.”

“Do you want me to help you try to fall asleep again?” She offered.

He shook his head one more time.

 _So bad day it is then._ She thought.

“Okay.” Felicity told him, plastering a smile on her face, hoping it might help his mood. She pulled him closer to give him a hug and at least he hugged her back. “Do you want your breakfast now?”

He thought about it for a few seconds then nodded. “Okay.”

Felicity gave him a nod. “Alright.” She picked him up and put him on the stool she just vacated, kissing his cheek, closed her work laptop and placed it on the table as she made her way to the fridge to get his milk.

She heard the dog enter the room, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucas staring down at him.

“Hi, Arrow.” He murmured.

The dog quietly whined, rubbing his head against Lucas’s leg, sensing something was wrong, but her son lazily patted him a few times before folding his arms on the counter and placing his head on top of them, closing his eyes.

During his bad days, Arrow was able to at least bring a small smile on Lucas’s lips, but today was not one of those days, today the dog didn’t seem to comfort him as usual.

Felicity quickly got his cereals and when the milk was ready she placed everything in front of him.

“There you go, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, mommy.”

Felicity placed a kiss on the top of his head as she sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his back, her hand drawing small circles against his side as he ate.

“What would you like to do next?” She asked. Yesterday they agreed she was going to teach him some new things to get him ready for when the school would begin in a few months, but looking at him like that she didn’t think he was up to it.

Lucas shrugged.

She asked him if he wanted to watch some tv, read a book, color, play with Arrow or with some of his toys, she even offered to play baseball in the garden when they both knew she wasn’t good at it. But every time Lucas shook his head.

Felicity sighed. She was usually able to find something to distract him and improve his mood, but as every idea she proposed got rejected, she started to worry. What worried her the most was that she had no idea what was bothering Lucas.

After he finished his breakfast, Felicity turned on the tv on the cartoon channel, hoping it might catch his attention.

“Why don’t you watch some cartoons?” She told him with a smile.

Lucas nodded and jumped down from the stool, going to sit on the couch. Felicity placed a blanket to cover his body and he snuggled under it muttering a quiet “Thanks, mommy.”

A few moments later, Arrow hovered close to him before jumping on the couch and placed his head on Lucas’s lap. Her son ran a hand through the dog’s coat.

“You know you shouldn’t lay on the couch, Arrow. Daddy doesn’t like to find your hair on it.” Lucas said with a small chuckle.

He was right, Oliver didn’t like that, but seeing her son patting softly the dog for the first time that day and quietly chuckling at the dog, she couldn’t take that moment away from him.

“I think your father won’t mind that, Lucas.” She reassured him with a caress on his cheek. “Keep Arrow with you while I clean up, then I’ll join you. Alright?”

Lucas raised his eyes to look at her and nodded. “Thanks.”

Felicity smiled down at him before giving him another kiss on the top of his head. She walked back to the kitchen and made quick work of cleaning his mug and bowl, then grabbed her phone. After making sure Lucas was still on the couch and couldn’t hear her, Felicity called Oliver. He picked up after the second ring.

“Hi.”

“Hey, I’m so sorry to bother you…” She began, but Oliver interrupted her.

“Felicity, you could never bother me. I know that if you’re calling there’s a reason. So, is something wrong?” He calmly asked her and it settled her nerves a little.

“Not exactly. I mean, it’s Lucas, he’s already up and awake. He couldn’t sleep, but doesn’t know why or… or he doesn’t want to tell me.” She explained quietly. “He didn’t have a nightmare or anything, and Arrow barely made him smile. You put him to sleep yesterday, I was wondering if you noticed something, if he seemed upset.”

She heard Oliver sigh on the other end of the line. “No, nothing seemed wrong. He was smiling all the way through his bedtime story and then fell asleep without a problem. Maybe he just didn’t sleep well during the night?”

“I don’t know, it’s possible…” She mumbled thoughtfully.

“Do you need me to come home?” Oliver asked her.

“No, no. You’ve got meetings all day, focus on that. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” Felicity told him apologetically.

“Hey, this is our son we’re talking about. You did the right thing to call me instead of hiding that he was having a bad day. I’m glad you told me.” She heard Jerry talking to him on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry, Felicity, the investors are here.” Oliver sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come home?”

“Yes, I’m sure. And you’re probably right, he just didn’t sleep well. You know how I am, I worry about him when he’s like this.”

“I know, and that’s what makes you a great mother. If you didn’t worry, then it would mean that you didn’t care about him. I worry about him too, I think that’s normal. I-” More voices joined him in the room and he sighed. “I’m sorry, honey, I really have to go now. Please, keep me updated on how he’s doing.”

“Okay.”

“And call me if you need me to come home. You know I’d do that in a heartbeat, investors be damned.” He whispered into the phone and it made her chuckle.

“Yeah, I know that. But stay focused on the meeting. I promise to call if something is wrong.”

“Alright. Love you.” He told her lovingly.

“I love you too.” She replied before they hung up.

Taking a deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face and walked into the living room. She sat next to Lucas, so the boy had Felicity on his right side and Arrow to his left, the dog’s head still resting on his lap.

As soon as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, Lucas snuggled close to her, resting his head against her chest as he closed his eyes, a contented sigh leaving his lips. He was still wearing his pj’s and his tousled hair hadn’t met a hairbrush today, but she didn’t care. If he wanted to spend the entire day like that, Felicity would let him.

She softly ran her free hand through his hair and placed a kiss against his forehead as the tv continued to play Tom and Jerry chasing each other, but his eyes remained closed. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, not even 15 minutes before he let out quiet snores.

Felicity turned down the tv volume to let the boy rest. He slept for the next hour and a half, during which Oliver texted her to ask about him, but she reassured him every time that he was fine.

When the boy woke up, he blinked slowly looking up at her and gave her a small, sleepy smile. “Hi, mommy.” His arm went to rest against her waist in a one-armed hug.

Felicity smiled down at him. “Hi, sleepyhead.”

Lucas blushed and laughed softly. It instantly relaxed her and made her smile widely. Even Arrow barked quietly, his wail waggling excitedly at Lucas’s change of mood.

Apparently, he just needed some more sleep and his mother’s comforting presence and unconditional love.

They watched the tv for some time, then her phone vibrated on the couch next to her and she saw Oliver’s smiling face show up on the screen.

“Hey, handsome.” Felicity said as soon as she picked up.

Oliver chuckled. “Hello, beautiful. From your voice, I guess your day improved since this morning.”

“Yes, it did.” She put the phone on speaker, so Lucas could hear him too. “You want to say hi to daddy, Lucas?”

The boy nodded and leaned closer to the phone. “Hi, daddy.” He said, his voice still coated with sleep.

“Hi, champion. How are you doing?”

“I’m good.” He replied, snuggling closer to Felicity. “I just woke up.”

“He fell asleep again after his breakfast.” Felicity explained to Oliver. “He just needed to catch up on some sleep, right?”

The kid nodded. “Yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Oliver said, and from his voice she knew he relaxed too, knowing their little boy was feeling better. “Hey, Felicity, can you let me speak with Lucas alone for a minute?”

She frowned a little, but agreed. “Of course.” She pressed the button for the speaker again and held out the phone to Lucas. “There you go, honey.”

Lucas took it and placed it against his ear. “Daddy?”

She heard Oliver speaking on the other end of the line, but she didn’t try to understand what he was saying because if he asked to talk to him alone there was a reason. Instead, she watched as a small frown appeared on Lucas’s face as he looked up at her and he nodded.

“Okay.” He listened some more then nodded more firmly. “I can do that, daddy… I love you too. Bye.” Lucas gave back the phone to her as he looked back at the tv, which was still playing his cartoons.

“What was that about?” She asked Oliver.

“Oh, nothing. Just… men stuff.” He said, the hint of a smile in his voice.

She chuckled and decided to let them have their little secrets. “Alright.”

“Listen, I have one more important meeting with the board in a few minutes, then I can reschedule everything else and come home to the two of you early.”

“You don’t have to do that.” She reassured him. “We’re going to be fine.”

“I know, but I want to stay with my family.”

 _And make sure we’re really okay._ Her mind supplied.

“Alright. See you later then.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”

As soon as she ended the call, Lucas turned to her. “I’ll go change my pj’s.”

Felicity nodded. “Okay. Do you want some help?”

Lucas started to shake his head, then his eyes glanced at the phone and it became a nod. “Thank you.”

She frowned a little at his reaction, but shook the thought away. They stood and she helped him get dressed, or rather, she helped him pick out an outfit and watched him get change as he was able to do that by himself. After washing himself, he looked up at her expectantly.

“What do you want to do?” She asked him.

Lucas bit his lip a little, thinking. Then his eyes widened. “Can we make cookies?”

He usually did that with Oliver. “You do remember that I’m not really good at cooking, right?”

Lucas shrugged. “We can try.”

She couldn’t say no to those hopeful blue eyes and small little dimples. “Fine, but I can’t promise you we are going to eat those. I’ll probably burn them.” _Like always._

He shrugged again. “But we’ll cook together. That’s fun.”

Felicity chuckled. “Alright.”

So that was what they did for the next few hours. They followed the recipe Oliver wrote on the notebook they called “Lucas’s favorites”, and flour ended everywhere in the kitchen, she used way more utensils than necessary, and she pretended not to see Lucas when he stole a few chocolate chips as he added them to the dough.

As they cleaned up, they discussed whether they were going to be edible or not -Felicity doubted that, but Lucas was confident that they did everything like Oliver.

When the oven informed them the cookies were ready, Felicity took them out and let them cool.

“They smell good.” Lucas said, licking his lips.

“Yes, they do.” The result even surprised herself. They were not all the same size and were a little harder than when Oliver made them, but at least she didn’t burn them.

When they were ready to be eaten, she tentatively took a bite as Lucas did the same. The boy immediately nodded in approval.

“I like them!”

Felicity smiled widely at him. “I’m so glad about it.”

Lucas finished his cookie and went to hug her. “Are you happy now, mommy?”

And, just like that, it clicked.

She knew why Oliver wanted to talk to Lucas alone on the phone. Sometimes, when Lucas was having a bad day, Oliver asked him to spend some time with them because _they_ were sad. That way Lucas tried to make them happy, when in reality they were involving him with activities so he wouldn’t spend the day sad and alone. In the end, it always worked, because it distracted Lucas and it resulted in him smiling again because he made them happy.

Today Oliver must have asked him to spend time with her because she was sad.

Felicity picked him up, held him close against her chest and kissed his cheek. “I’m very happy, baby. Thank you.”

“I love you.” The boy told her, giving her a kiss. She knew he just left some chocolate on her cheek, but she didn’t care. It just made her smile.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

As if summoned, Oliver entered the door at that moment. “I smell cookies.”

Lucas’s eyes widened. “Daddy! You’re home!”

Oliver walked closer to them with a smile on his face. “Yes. I was missing you two.” He leaned down and kissed the boy’s cheek before placing a quick kiss on her lips.

He hummed. “Chocolate chips. Good choice.”

Lucas stayed in Felicity’s arms but motioned for Oliver to get closer so he could whisper in his ear. “Look, I made mommy happy.”

Felicity heard him and her heart swelled with love at his words.

“Yes, my little man. That’s what us Queens do best.” Oliver winked at Lucas and it made him giggle. “I don’t know about you two, but I want to eat those cookies and watch some cartoons right now.”

Lucas nodded in agreement and they all walked to the living room, Oliver stopping only to grab some special cookies he made specifically for Arrow.

Once they were seated with Lucas between them eating his cookies, Felicity saw Oliver picking at a hair and he knew Arrow had been on the couch. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised in question. She glanced down at Lucas and Oliver understood the dog was comforting their son. He smiled and with an arm he pulled her closer so their heads rested against each other.

“Thank you.” She quietly whispered.

_Thank you for talking to Lucas and helping to improve his mood._

Oliver gently shook his head. “I did nothing. It was all you.”

Felicity sighed and reached down to run her hand through Lucas’s hair. The boy looked up at her and smiled, chocolate covering his lips and all, before he turned his attention back to the tv.

Only one word came to her mind as she stared down at him.

_Happy._

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't turn out as I first imagined it, but I didn't want to make it sad (like if he had a nightmare or something). Sometimes it happens that you wake up in a bad mood for no reason at all. I hope you enjoyed the result anyway.
> 
> Next one-shot will be Oliver-Lucas centered.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new one-shot!
> 
> Enjoy!

Being stranded on a deserted island for over a year left its mark on Oliver. Both emotional and physical marks.

For 1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks and 6 days he had to live alone in a place literally called “Purgatory”. He thought it was his punishment for all the dumb things he did when he was younger and messed around -before he met Felicity and pulled his head out of his ass.

Spending all that time alone with his thoughts made him feel self-conscious about himself and who he was. Sometimes he believed he deserved what happened to him. Other times he thought it was him who deserved to die when the Gambit sunk instead of his parents.

And when he was finally able to go back home, back to Felicity, he told her everything on that first night he was back.

She listened to him and never judged him.

Not when he told her about how alone he felt. Not when he admitted he was scared of what might happen to him. Not when he told her about the nightmares. Not when he confessed to being terrified of a simple storm. Not when he showed her his naked body.

He was afraid she was going to be repelled by the sight of his chest and back, littered by numerous scars he received as he tried to survive against animals and the raging weather.

 _You are beautiful._ Were her words.

He didn’t believe her, thinking they only made him ugly and damaged.

 _You are beautiful,_ she repeated, _and do you know what I see when I look at them? I see a strong man who did everything he could to survive and come back home._

 _You._ He corrected her. _I did everything to come back to you._

And when later that night they made love, hands caressing each other’s body, she didn’t avoid the scars. On the contrary, her hands would linger on them, as if she was trying to soothe his pain, and showed him she wasn’t disgusted by them.

She accepted him, with scars and a damaged mind.

The next day, he proposed to her and she said yes.

After that night, he started to see his scars -emotional and physical- as a sign of strength, just like she told him. It was a slow process, but as the years passed, he learned to not be ashamed of them.

→

The first time Lucas saw his scars was by accident.

Oliver was working out in their gym, lifting weights shirtless, when he heard the boy approach the room. Immediately, he put the weights down and grabbed his shirt.

For the first time in years, he didn’t want to show what his time away did to his body.

Lucas had been living with them for only a few weeks, and even if he knew that Oliver had spent some time on a deserted island, he didn’t know about the physical damage.

He was pulling the shirt over his head when he heard a quiet “Oliver?”

He quickly pulled the shirt down and smiled at his son. “Yes, Lucas?”

The kid stared at him, obviously he saw the scars, but he didn’t say anything. And, more importantly, he didn’t seem scared of him. “Felicity needs to tell you something about her work.” He informed him.

Oliver smiled, grabbed a towel and wiped his face before walking to the boy. “Thank you for telling me, Lucas.”

He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and they made their way to Felicity.

→

The second time it happened, Oliver was trying to fix the kitchen sink.

Plumbing wasn’t his forte, but the sink was leaking so it needed a quick repair. He must have turned the bolt in the wrong direction because water started to spray out under a lot of pressure, hitting his face and startling him. Oliver quickly tried to fix his mistake, effectively reducing the water spray, but it still continued to leak.

“You alright in there?” He heard Felicity ask next to him.

Oliver took off his shirt and wrapped it around the tube, giving himself a moment to think about what to do next.

“Yeah. Can you pass me that pipe wrench?” He indicated the tool he could see from his position as he laid half inside the cabinet.

Felicity gave him what he needed and he was able to repair the tube, at least provisionally.

“Alright.” He left the confines of the cabinet and stood, wiping at his face. “That should hold until the plumber gets here tomorrow.”

Felicity nodded. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” He smiled at her, then heard the sounds of Lucas eating his cereals at the table. He looked at the boy and noticed him staring. He once again felt self-conscious about his scars. “I’ll go get something to put on.” He informed them and started to make his way to the stairs.

But it felt wrong to just leave the room without saying something to Lucas. He wasn’t saying anything about the scars, but he was looking at them and Oliver wasn’t sure if the boy was expecting an explanation or something.

So, he opted for something funny, something to lift the mood -even if Oliver was probably the only one who was having a hard time at the moment.

“Lucas, here’s a lesson for you. If you don’t know how to fix a sink… Just call a plumber and let them do their job.” And winked.

Oliver wasn’t sure if just avoiding what was right in front of him was the right thing to do, but Lucas smiled at his words, letting out small giggles, so he took that as a good sign.

At least he wasn’t scared of him.

→

The third time Lucas saw them, he was in the gym again.

Oliver was in the middle of his workout, halfway up on the salmon ladder Felicity _insisted_ on installing in their gym at home, when he heard his wife and son get back from the store. He didn’t think they were going to come into the room, so he didn’t stop his exercise to put on a shirt.

But then he heard them talking behind him.

“What is that thing?” Lucas asked.

Felicity sighed dreamily. “That thing is used to distract me from work.”

“Why?” Their son asked, clearly not understanding what Felicity meant with that.

Oliver chuckled to himself while Felicity was trying to find another reason other than her usual _because my hot husband turns me on so much when he does that._

“Bec-because, well… Because it makes a lot of noise, and that distracts me. The _noise_ distracts me.” She stuttered.

“But it looks cool.” Lucas retorted.

Felicity laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. So hot- _cool._ That’s _cool._ ”

Oliver smiled knowingly, just as he reached the top and jumped down, turning around to look at them. Felicity was openly ogling at his chiseled and sweaty chest, while Lucas stared at his scars once again but he didn’t seem bothered by them, more like curious.

He grabbed a towel and wiped his sweat as he walked to them. “You’re back early.”

Felicity shook her head to get back to the reality. “Yeah. We just got the essential, I know how you get when I pick the wrong vegetables.”

Oliver frowned. “So, you didn’t get _any_ vegetables?”

She smiled innocently at him. “We were hoping you could make your pizza instead of the spinach…”

He sighed and shook his head. “You are spoiling our son, you know that right?”

“Please, Oliver.” Lucas spoke up, looking hopefully at him.

Sometimes he wondered if Felicity ‘trained’ Lucas to make puppy eyes to avoid eating healthy food. And they both knew he wasn’t going to say no to that.

“Alright.” He conceded before pointing a finger at them. “But tomorrow we’re all going to eat spinach.”

“Yes!” Lucas and Felicity said at the same time, turning to high five each other, making Oliver laugh.

“You two planned this, didn’t you?” He asked.

Felicity innocently batted her eyelashes at him. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Oliver looked down at the boy. “Lucas?”

He blushed and tried not to smile, but his dimples showed, sign that he was indeed smiling.

“You two think you outsmarted me?” He asked, his eyes narrowing. “Then you’re going to get a sweaty Oliver.”

Before they could blink, he picked up Lucas and grabbed Felicity around the waist, making them laugh and yell when he plastered sweaty kisses on their cheeks.

“Oliver! You’re all sweaty!” Felicity lamented.

“You had it coming.” He simply stated, not regretting his actions.

Especially not when Lucas was laughing so hard, hugging his neck, not caring about the scars.

→

During the next year Lucas saw his scars many times for one reason or another. He never asked about them, but he also wasn’t bothered at the sight. That settled Oliver’s nerves and now he wasn’t worried or ashamed if his son saw them.

The summer after his fifth birthday was extremely hot. To fight the weather, Oliver and Felicity bought a small pool where Lucas could spend some time to cool down. He had a lot of fun playing in the water under the sun and they decided that the next year they were going to buy another one, bigger, and they would teach him to swim.

For now, though, he was happy with the one where the water reached his waist.

During a lazy Sunday afternoon, Oliver was laying in the pool, his arms resting on the edge to keep himself from slipping down, while Lucas played next to him and Felicity read a book on her lounger near them.

Oliver had his eyes closed, contented to just hear his son’s happy giggles as he played. When the boy slowly grew still, Oliver could feel his eyes looking at him, at his scars.

“Daddy?” He started quietly.

Oliver opened one eye and gave him a small smile. “Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?” Lucas asked timidly, glancing down at his chest and biting his lip in nervousness -something he picked up from Felicity.

He sat up straight and gave his son his full attention. “Of course. You know you can ask anything.”

The boy nodded and waited a few seconds before speaking again. “Those things…” he pointed at the scars on his chest, “your mom and dad did them to you?”

Oliver saw Felicity close her book and look at them. He gave her a subtle nod, letting her know it was okay and he could handle it.

“No, baby.” Oliver replied, caressing Lucas’s cheek. “They didn’t hurt me.”

Lucas frowned. “But they seem like this.” He reached back with one arm to touch his own scar, the one those monsters gave him cutting him with glass.

“I know, they are scars, but… no one hurt me. They happened by accident.” He gently explained.

“How?” He asked.

“You remember when I told you about the boat accident? The one after which I was on a deserted island for a while?” Lucas nodded. “Well, while I was on the island, I had small accidents as I tried to survive. And the result is that I have scars.”

Lucas was looking at him with curious eyes. He glanced again at the scars and with a hand he indicated one on his shoulder. “Can I touch it?”

Oliver nodded and watched as the boy gently brushed his fingers against the rough patch of skin.

“Does it hurt?” He asked with a frown.

“No, honey. They stopped hurting a long time ago.” His eyes found Felicity’s and they both knew what he meant to say.

 _She_ made the pain go away.

And as he felt Lucas softly running his fingers over one, it was like the boy was taking away the pain once again.

“How did these happen?” He wondered, touching three small scars on his left shoulder.

“When the boat went down, pieces of broken metal cut the skin.” Oliver patiently told him.

“Ouch.” Lucas scrunched up his face as if he was in pain.

“That’s okay, buddy.” Oliver smiled reassuringly. “I don’t even remember the pain.”

_Not when you are making me forget about it._

His eyes went to the one on his left pectoral before his hand followed. “And this?”

“An arrow.”

Lucas’s eyes widened. “An arrow?!” He glanced back at the dog who carried that same name as he laid on the grass under the gazebo, away from the sun.

Oliver chuckled. “Yes, an arrow. I was trying to- catch something to eat, but somehow I ended up hurting myself.”

He didn’t need to know that he was about to kill a rabbit. Lucas liked them, thought they were funny, so Oliver decided to spare him the gory details.

“This is weird.” He placed his hand over the burning on his right pec.

“That’s a burning mark. Like this one.” He turned around and showed him the one on his lower back.

Lucas covered it with both of his hands, making Oliver sigh. His eyes found Felicity’s, who was looking at their interactions with tears in her eyes. She knew the real story behind every scar and she always told him that if she could take away the pain, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Oliver always told her that she already did that, the first night he was back home.

“How it happened?” Lucas asked.

“I found a shelter and started a fire to keep warm. A group of animals attacked me. They took me by surprise and I ended up with my back on the fire, then when I tried to fend them off with a piece of wood on fire I got the burning on my chest.”

“And you scared them away?” Lucas asked hopefully.

 _I ran away. When I went back, I ate_ _the one I managed to kill in the confusion._

“Yeah. Yeah, I scared them away.”

“And were they scary animals?”

“Not really, but I got attacked by a shark once.” Oliver said.

Lucas’s eyes widened in shock. “A _shark?!_ ”

Oliver nodded. “Yeah.” He pulled down the side of his shorts, enough to show him the bite mark on his hip. “It bit me, but I managed to get away safely.”

Lucas gasped and tentatively touched the scar on his hip. “Were you scared?” He asked worriedly.

_I was terrified._

“Well, yeah, but… I had a lot to fight for.” His eyes found Felicity’s once again and she smiled at him in support. “I wasn’t going to let a fish eat me.” Oliver winked at his son.

“Wow!” Lucas smiled widely before hugging him tightly. “You are so brave, daddy!”

Oliver sighed, wrapping his arms around the child, one hand covering the scar on the boy's back. “You are brave too, my young man.”

Lucas's arms tightened around his neck before he pulled back, eyes wide and an excited smile on his face. “I can’t wait to tell Nate and Lizzie I have a brave and strong daddy! And JJ too! Maybe not Sara because she’s too young and she can get scared by the shark story, but I- Oh! I have to tell my friends when we go to the park!”

Lucas’s enthusiasm made Oliver laugh.

At first, Oliver was so afraid that his son was going to be scared just by the sight of his scars, but he should’ve known better.

Lucas was a young boy who went through a lot, who saw just how bad people could be, but that strengthened him. He was strong and hearing the story of what happened to his father years ago didn’t scare him. On the contrary, it made him proud of having Oliver as a father, a _‘brave and strong daddy’_ , and he wanted to say that to the entire world.

And as Oliver glanced at Felicity, a small smile on her lips, he knew she was proud too. She was proud of the father he was. She was proud of the husband he was. She was proud of the man he was.

She was proud and accepted him. Just like Lucas was proud and accepted him, all of him.

A man with scars, emotional and physical scars.

Oliver’s love for his family only increased at the thought.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked some father-son bonding time!
> 
> Next chapter is a one-shot you've all been waiting for: the pregnancy! How Oliver and Felicity react to the news, how they tell Lucas, how he reacts, and some extra scenes during those 9 months!
> 
> At least that's the plan, I haven't written it yet... So, if you have ideas or suggestions on what you'd like to see, feel free to tell me in the comments and I'll do my best to write them down!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope this chapter comes as a nice surprise!
> 
> As promised, I wrote the pregnancy part of the story and... It got a little out of hand! I was going to write about 4 or 5k words, instead, it became a 12k+ words, so I divided it into 3 different chapters.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it!

“Honey… Wake up.” She whispered.

He whined.

Felicity chuckled. “Come on.” She slightly shook his shoulder.

“Wanna sleep.” He mumbled.

“I know, sweetie, but I’ve already let you sleep for one hour more than usual. If you don’t get up now, you’ll have problems falling asleep tonight.” She gently told him, running her hand through his hair.

Lucas opened one eye and Felicity smiled at him. “Good morning, my beautiful boy.”

He blushed, like every single time she called him that, and gave her a small smile. “Hi, mommy.”

“Hi.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

Lucas pulled back the covers and let out a yawn as he slowly sat, rubbing his eyes. “Is daddy at work?”

“Yes.” Felicity confirmed, gathering fresh clothes for him to wear. When she noticed his small pout, she looked at him questioningly. “Why? Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Daddy told me he was going to make pancakes for breakfast.”

Felicity smiled at him. “He did. I just have to re-heat them for you.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

She nodded and a smile appeared on Lucas’s lips. It amazed her how just the mention of food could improve her son’s mood in seconds.

Felicity still remembered when he first came home with her and Oliver almost two years ago, when he was afraid of asking for more food if he was hungry. He came a long way from that, his slightly more rounded cheeks a sign that he enjoyed whatever Oliver made -and Felicity’s choices of unhealthy junk food.

Now, whenever they mentioned food, they had his full attention.

Felicity chuckled as she helped him through his morning routine, before making their way downstairs so he could have his breakfast. Lucas was petting their dog, babbling about a dream he had and Felicity listened carefully with a smile on her face as she put the pancakes on a plate, turning the stove off.

When she turned around, her vision swam in front of her. She had to put a hand on the counter to steady herself as she breathed through the wave of dizziness. She shouldn’t have turned around so quickly. Or maybe she should’ve eaten something more than just a muffin.

When Felicity opened her eyes again, black dots were still dancing in front of her and when she tried to take a step forward, the dizziness intensified. The next thing she knew, the kitchen was tilting dangerously in front of her as Lucas called out for her.

“Mommy!”

→

Oliver nodded along to what the man was saying. He was explaining the new changes in the security department, changes he already approved weeks ago -after consulting Digg about them- so he didn’t really understand why the board insisted he needed to be present at the meeting.

He was starting to get lost in his own mind, thinking about what he was going to make for dinner, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He grabbed it and excused himself as he stood and walked a few steps away from the table.

“Felicity, hey.” He greeted her with a smile on his lips. “How are you guys doing?”

A sniffle.

Oliver’s heart seized when he realized it wasn’t his wife on the phone. “Lucas?”

“Daddy…” He wept.

Blood froze in his veins as a million thoughts ran through his mind.

_Did something bad happen? Was Lucas on the phone because something happened to Felicity? Were the Daniels? Did they find a way out of prison and got their revenge like they promised?_

Ignoring the voices that asked him where the hell he was going, Oliver sprinted out of the conference room.

“Lucas, what’s going on?” He asked, trying to stay calm as he entered the elevator, repeatedly pressing the button for the garage.

The boy sniffled again, breathing fast as he continued to cry. He could hear Arrow barking loudly somewhere near.

“Lucas, baby, can you get the phone to mommy?” Oliver asked, but somehow, he already knew what he was going to say.

“I can’t.” He replied. “She fell.”

With his heart threatening to burst out of his chest, Oliver tried to take a calming breath. The damned elevator was going too slow.

Before he could say anything, Lucas continued. “I was telling her about the dream, and she was making me breakfast, and then she fell, and she got cut… there is blood and she’s not awake.”

Lucas cried harder, and Oliver ran a hand through his hair, trying to stay calm. His wife was unconscious and hurt, and their son was terrified.

“Honey, I need you take a deep breath, okay? Everything is going to be fine.” Lucas continued to cry, not listening to him. The elevator doors opened and Oliver rushed to his car. “Lucas, I’m coming home, but I need you to be strong, okay? I need you to be brave and strong as much as you can. Do it for mommy, _please_. She needs you right now, okay?”

The six-years-old sniffled. “Okay.” He mumbled.

“Good, Lucas, that’s very good.” He praised his son as he started the car. “Now, can you tell me how mommy fell? Was she doing something dangerous?” It was unlikely, but he needed more information and Lucas needed a distraction, something to focus on.

Oliver took a sharp turn, only a few miles and he was going to be home. He had never been so happy that they picked a house that was so near QC.

“No. She was making me breakfast, the pancakes you made for me. She was bringing them to the table, but she fell to the floor.”

Oliver had no idea if she tripped over something or if she fainted for some reason, but he really hoped she didn’t hit her head in the fall.

“Okay. And where she got the cut you were talking about?”

“The cut… Mommy.”

Oliver frowned. “Lucas?”

He heard some rustling on the other end of the line and some groaning.

“’S alright, sweetie.” He heard his wife’s weak voice and it calmed him a little that she was at least awake.

“Mommy.” Lucas sobbed once again.

Oliver heard faint voices talking and guessed that Lucas completely forgot he was still on the phone, but it didn’t matter because after just a minute Oliver parked his car and rushed inside their home. He heard Arrow was still barking so he headed for the kitchen and saw his wife lying on the floor, Lucas sitting next to her crying.

“Hey.” Oliver whispered as he kneeled next to Felicity. He cradled her cheeks, and ran a hand through her hair as his eyes checked her over for injuries. She was pale, but it didn’t look like she hit her head.

She looked at him frowning. “How you…”

“Lucas called me.” Oliver explained, smiling at the boy. “You did good, honey.” He reassured him squeezing his shoulder.

Lucas wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked down. “Mommy is still hurt.”

Oliver followed his line of sight and noticed a gash on his wife’s hand.

She groaned. “I was holding the plate with his breakfast. I must have cut myself when it broke.”

Oliver quickly grabbed a clean towel and gently wrapped it around her hand. “It’s not too deep, but it’ll need stitches.” He looked up at their son. “Lucas, can you please grab a bottle of water for mommy?”

He nodded and immediately stood to go and get it, the dog quickly following him.

Oliver’s hand found Felicity’s cheek once again. “What happened?”

Felicity sighed. “I don’t know. I was making him breakfast and I probably turned around too quickly because I became dizzy. Then I think I fainted.”

“Did you hit your head?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I probably fell on my shoulder because that kinda hurts.”

Oliver pulled up her sleeve and sure enough a bruise was already forming. “I’m getting you to the hospital.” He stated and when Felicity was ready to refuse, he continued. “That’s not up for discussion. Your hand needs stitches and I want to be sure you didn’t hit your head. _Please_ , Felicity.”

Lucas was back with a bottle of water and after noticing the worried look on their son’s face, she was convinced and she nodded. “Okay.”

→

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors stitched up her hand and checked her shoulder, but other than some ice, that didn’t need anything else. They checked her vitals and said that she had low blood pressure and that was probably the reason why she fainted. They still took some blood samples to run some tests, just to be sure it wasn’t something else.

A few minutes after they gave her a room, Oliver entered with Lucas in his arms. Her husband was smiling at her, while the boy was tightly hugging his father.

“Hey…”

She reached out with her hands, silently asking for a hug from Lucas. Oliver put him on the bed and Lucas immediately went to hug her. As he found a comfortable position to lay against her chest without hurting her shoulder or messing with the wires, Felicity leaned down to kiss the top of his head, hugging him close.

“I’m so sorry I scared you, sweetheart. I’ve never wanted to do that.” She whispered to him.

The boy looked up at her. “But you’re okay now?”

Felicity nodded. “I’m okay. I promise.” She replied with a smile.

“Good.” He just said, lying back down with his head on her chest as he let out a soft sigh.

“We have a smart, brave young man.” Oliver told her as he sat on the chair next to the bed. “Calling me immediately after he saw you fainting… That was the right thing to do, Lucas.” He reassured their son with a smile.

“You always tell me that if I need help, I have to call you or mommy.” Lucas looked up at her. “You weren’t awake, so I called daddy.”

“My hero.” Felicity whispered against the boy’s forehead before pressing a kiss there. She saw him blush at the words and it brought a smile on her face.

Lucas tightened his hold on her. “I’m sorry I got scared.”

“Shh, no baby. You don’t have to apologize for anything. I am sorry that I scared you.” She repeated, hoping he believed her.

He just sighed and closed his eyes. The three of them stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door.

“Yes?” Oliver stood from his chair and turned to look at the door as it opened.

Thea took a step in. “Hey, guys. I came as soon as I could. Felicity, how are you?”

She smiled at her sister-in-law. “All better. The doctors say that I had low blood pressure, and combined with the only muffin that I had -which is not considered a real breakfast- that’s why I fainted. We’re waiting the blood tests then I can go home.”

“Good, I’m happy you’re okay.” She replied with a smile, then she turned to look at her brother. “After you ran from the meeting, the board called me to step in, then I received your text and I came here as the meeting was over.”

“Thank you, Speedy.” Oliver told her.

“Don’t mention it.”

“I’m sorry I caused this much trouble for nothing.” Felicity spoke up, running a hand through Lucas’s hair as he was still pressed against her, seeking comfort after the scare.

“Hey…” Oliver took her free hand. “Don’t ever apologize for something that was out of your control.”

She looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity reflected in them. She was about to reply when Lucas’s stomach rumbled, making them chuckle as his cheeks turned red.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

“No, honey, I am sorry. In the confusion, I completely forgot you didn’t have your breakfast.” Felicity said, only remembering that now.

She wasn’t doing a good job as a mother today. First, she scared him, then she forgot about his breakfast. What was going to happen next?

But Lucas shrugged. “I’m not hungry.”

“Your stomach says otherwise.” She pointed out.

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed, “and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” He said, with a pointed look at Felicity.

“Listen, guys…” Thea spoke up. “There’s a nice coffee shop at the end of the street. I can take him there to get something to eat, if you want.”

 _And keep him distracted for a while after his morning scare._ Were the unsaid words she and Oliver heard anyway.

Felicity nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

But Lucas shook his head against her chest. “I don’t want to go.”

Oliver sighed. “Come on, Lucas. You need to eat something. And when you’ll come back, we’ll be ready to go home and then we’ll do whatever you want.”

They watched as he thought about it for a few seconds before looking up at Felicity. “But if I go, you will be okay?”

She smiled lovingly at him. “I will be fine, sweetheart. I promise.” She reassured him with a kiss on his forehead.

“Okay.” He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. “I love you, mommy.”

Felicity smiled. “I love you too, my boy.”

Reluctantly, he let go of her and Oliver helped him to get down from the bed, then Lucas wrapped his arms around his father’s legs.

“I love you too, daddy.”

Oliver ran his hands through the boy’s hair, a smile plastered on his face. “I love you, buddy.”

When he let go of him, Lucas grabbed Thea’s hand and waved back.

“See you later, guys.” She said. “Call me if something comes up.”

“Will do.” They replied and watched as the two exited the room.

When Oliver turned to her again, he smiled and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Don’t scare us like that ever again, please.”

“I’ll do my best.”

→

It was half an hour later that her blood tests were finally ready. Dr. Schwartz reassured them that nothing was wrong with Felicity, that the fainting was due to the low blood pressure and the low sugar levels.

Oliver and Felicity both let out a relieved sigh at that. Even if they didn’t think they were going to get a different response, knowing for sure that she was fine was still a relief.

“You just need a good meal and a lot of rest.” Dr. Schwartz smiled. “Especially because of what we did find in your blood results, which is most likely the cause of your fainting.”

Felicity looked at her husband and saw a frown forming on his face, a frown that probably matched hers.

“Why? What did you find?” Felicity asked tentatively, the beeping that kept track of her heartrate started to speed up, and Oliver immediately grabbed her hand.

“You said nothing is wrong with her.”

“Nothing is wrong.” She was quick to reassure them. “But we did find elevated levels of HCG.” The doctor informed them.

 _That’s not possible._ Was Felicity’s first thought.

Oliver’s hand tightened around hers, because they both knew what the HCG was. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.

The pregnancy hormone.

They heard a lot about it during their talks with doctors and gynecologists back in the days while they were trying to have a baby, and they heard those exact words once, that Felicity had high levels of HCG.

But that didn’t end well.

Felicity was speechless, and tried to wrap her head around what the doctor was saying as her husband let out a trembling breath.

“You mean that we… that she-” His voice broke, and this time it was Felicity who tightened the hold she had on his hand.

Dr. Schwartz smiled widely at them. “You’re having a baby.”

A tear escaped her eye and Felicity had no idea when she had started to cry. “Are you sure?” She whispered.

The doctor nodded. “I checked those tests myself three times. I can confirm that you are pregnant, around 5 or 6 weeks I’d say, but an ultrasound will be more specific. I suggest to get an appointment with your gynecologist as soon as you can, especially knowing about your medical history, but for now everything seems to be in the normal.”

Felicity vaguely heard the doctor congratulate them before quietly leaving the room. She felt Oliver wrap his arms around her middle as he pulled her close to him, hiding his face in her neck and breathing deeply, but Felicity couldn’t hug him back.

She felt numb.

She didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to get her hopes up and be destroyed once again when the bad news was going to reach her. Because she knew there was bad news waiting for her.

That was how it worked.

They would be ecstatic about the pregnancy, plan everything, tell about it to their family and closest friends… And then everything would be ripped from them, whether because her blood tests were wrong and she wasn’t really pregnant or because something tragic was going to happen. _Again._

So, no. Felicity didn’t want to believe the doctor’s words.

But there was a part of her, a bigger part than she would have liked to admit, that _did_ believe what she had just been told. She wanted to believe that there was currently a tiny human being growing inside of her, that someone was going to join their family in less than 9 months. A baby that they craved so much for _years_.

She didn’t know how to feel.

“Felicity, look at me.” Oliver said, and when her eyes found his she knew it wasn’t the first time he tried to catch her attention. “Hey, it’s alright.” His voice was calm as he cradled her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the continuous stream of tears that she couldn’t seem to be able to stop.

“No, it’s not.” She whispered. “I… I don’t want this.”

There was the hint of a smile on her husband’s face, but as soon as he heard her words it disappeared, a frown appeared instead. “You… You don’t want it?” He sounded so sad and broken, betrayed even.

When she focused better on him, she realized what she said and shook her head. “No, I mean… Not like that, I…” She sighed. She was known for talking a lot, but now that she needed words, they seemed to escape her. “I want it, I want another baby _so much._ ” She reassured him, finally taking his hands and squeezing them. “You know I do, but… I don’t want _this_. I don’t want to believe it and then have it taken away from us. I don’t want another disappointment. I don’t want to experience that helplessness again. I don’t… I don’t want to lose another baby.” Felicity cried, her body wrecked with sobs.

It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of their life, but she was unable to enjoy it. She was unable to see the bright side of the news. She could only feel the terror.

“I don’t want to go through that kind of loss again, I don’t think I could handle it.” She confessed as Oliver pulled her close to his chest again, running a hand through her hair.

“I know. I know.” He whispered. “But I promise you we will be careful, we will take every precaution and make sure that everything will be fine the entire time.”

“I’m terrified, Oliver.” She said against him. “I want to be happy about it, but I’m so terrified I’ll fail again.”

“Felicity, I told you years ago and I’ll tell you again. What happened was not your fault.” He said firmly. “And if it’ll happen again…” His voice trembled. “It still won’t be your fault. I’m scared too, but we have to believe that everything is going to be okay.”

“How can we do that?” She wondered and then a thought struck her. She pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh, my god, Lucas. He will think we want to replace him, he will think that we’ll take him back to the center.”

“Felicity…”

“Oliver, he’s been through that once. It’s not something we will ever do, _we_ know that, but I don’t think he does. And I don’t want him to be scared of that, not even for a second.”

She was spiraling from one dark thought to another, she realized that, but she wasn’t able to stop her mind from going there. Oliver sensed it and grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly.

“We will make sure he knows that.” He told her firmly. “We will make sure he won’t be afraid of going back there or anything like that.” His right hand reached up to cup her cheek and he smiled at her. “Our son is smart. He will believe us when we’ll reassure him that he’ll stay with us no matter what. And he will be happy to have a sibling.”

A tiny spark of hope spread through her chest. “Lucas is very smart.” She agreed. “And he trusts us. I just don’t want to lose that trust.”

“We won’t. I promise you that.” Oliver told her and leaned closer to place a soft kiss on her lips. She felt a smile form on his face before he whispered against her, “We’re going to have a baby.”

Felicity didn’t want to get her hopes up in case they had to face another disappointment, but the happiness coming from her husband in waves made her smile too.

“I love those words.”

Oliver pulled her close, his strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safer than ever before. “We’re going to take it one step at a time. Face one day after the other, together.” She sighed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I’m so happy. And I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a long time, Oliver reassuring her the whole time and it calmed her nerves, if just a little.

Then a nurse brought them the discharge papers, and after signing them, Felicity got dressed to go home just before Lucas and Thea were back, along with Roy.

“Mommy!” Their son screamed, running to her.

She smiled down at him and picked him up. “Hey, beautiful boy.” She kissed his cheek, making him blush once again. “Did you have your breakfast?”

He nodded, pulling back to look at her. “Auntie Thea let me eat three waffles and a piece of the pancake she stole from Uncle Roy.”

“I knew I ordered four pancakes before leaving the table to pay for everything!” Roy exclaimed. “The waitress didn’t make a mistake. You two little thieves…”

Thea merely shrugged as Lucas laughed at Roy’s exasperation.

“My nephew was still hungry and it was almost lunch time… We couldn’t leave the coffee shop like that.”

It made Felicity chuckle as Oliver shook his head. “Speedy, you do realize that now his lunch is ruined, right? He won’t eat all the veggies I had ready for him.”

“Come on, Ollie. He needs some unhealthy food!”

“Yes, I know. And Felicity is the expert on that.” He replied to his sister while staring at Felicity with a pointed look.

“I will eat the veggies at dinner, daddy.” Lucas piped up.

Her husband glanced at their son, one finger pointed at him. “Do you promise?” His eyes were narrowed but the smile showed he wasn’t mad, not one bit.

Lucas nodded. “Pinky swear.”

“Good.” Oliver said, satisfied with the answer.

Lucas looked back at her and his small hands cupped her cheeks as his eyes roamed over her face. “You okay now, mommy?”

It was obvious that the boy was still scared of what happened that morning, and Felicity swore to herself that she was going to do anything to make him feel better.

She smiled widely at him as she nodded. “I’m alright, sweetie.”

“Did they tell you anything else?” Thea asked, her brow furrowed, clearly worried that maybe they had been told something was wrong with her.

Oliver’s eyes found hers and they silently agreed to wait before telling anyone about the pregnancy. They already had an appointment in two days with her gynecologist to make sure everything was okay, but they both knew they were going to wait even more time before saying anything. At least until the first trimester was over and the chances of losing the baby weren’t as high.

“No, nothing else.” Oliver answered. “Just that she needs some rest and to eat regularly, and healthy food, and work less so she doesn’t get stressed too much.”

The doctor didn’t say all that, but she knew Oliver was already in ‘worried husband/father/future-father-again mode’.

It made her smile and quieted her worries even more.

→

Two days later they were at the appointment with her doctor. The woman was very nice and was able to keep them calm and reassured as she explained what was going to include their schedule for their next appointments.

When Felicity laid down on the bed for an internal ultrasound, she started to feel the anxiety grown inside her, her heartbeat sped up and her breathing became uneven. The fear that something was wrong came back at full force, but she soon felt her husband grab her hand to tenderly kiss it.

“I’m right here with you.” He reminded her. “I’ll always be here, no matter what.”

It gave her the strength to smile back at him as the doctor started the visit. For a long time, there was nothing but a whooshing sound, which just increased their worries, but then it changed to a steady and fast beat. The doctor smiled as she turned the monitor to them, a line moving in time with the beats.

“Is that…?” Oliver couldn’t seem able to finish his sentence as his voice trembled.

“That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” The doctor confirmed with a smile. “It’s fast and steady as it should be. From the looks of it, everything seems normal, and I’m pretty sure you’re just a little over 5 weeks pregnant.”

Tears escaped her eyes without her consent, just like the sob that went past her lips. Oliver turned to her, a wide smile on his lips and his eyes shining with tears. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“We’re having a baby.” She whispered, finally saying the words out loud for the first time.

It felt so good.

“We’re having a baby.” Oliver echoed and as he looked down at her, she saw the happiness reflected in his eyes.

That was everything they’ve ever wanted. A baby.

It hurt that they had to go through a loss in the past, that something so beautiful was ripped from them, but they felt like Lucas was the baby that they were supposed to have. It just took them time to find him.

And now it was finally time for them to have another baby, it was time to give Lucas a little brother or sister, someone to love and to care about.

Just the thought of Lucas playing with a sibling made her choke out a laugh through her happy tears.

“We’re having a baby.”

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tomorrow for the next part!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of the pregnancy storyline!
> 
> Enjoy!

_Two months later._

Oliver wrapped a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He spent the early hours in the morning in their gym, working out the nervous energy he felt since the day before.

Their last appointment to the doctor was amazing, especially when they heard the baby’s heartbeat once again.

One of the first few times he was able to record that sound, so they listened to it every night before falling asleep. It was always amazing, but hearing it during the visit, in real time, it was always emotional.

The checkup also reassured them that everything was fine. Everything pointed to a healthy baby, who was developing perfectly according to the doctor. They also had the green light to tell anyone about it, having reached a safer milestone now that Felicity was 3 months and 2 weeks pregnant.

Last night, as they stared at the sonograms they collected for the last two months, Oliver and Felicity decided that the first one to know about the pregnancy needed to be Lucas. He deserved to know more than anyone else, especially after what he had been through with his second family, those that took him back to the center when they found out that they were going to have a baby of their own. Now the same thing was happening but they needed to reassure him that they weren’t going to abandon him.

Felicity fell asleep pretty soon, but Oliver barely closed his eyes the entire night. He stayed in bed to cuddle with her, to keep her safe and warm, but he didn’t sleep a lot, too much going on in his head.

For the last two months he had been supportive and hopeful, reassuring her whenever she had a doubt or her fears were so strong that she broke down in tears. As the time passed and their baby started to grow healthy and without a problem, they also started to feel hope. Hope that everything was going to be okay. It was exciting and scary at the same time, but they both realized that living in fear wasn’t worth it. They couldn’t waste the next 6 months thinking about terrible things, they needed to enjoy what they had, be just happy, make plans, buy a crib, a stroller, clothes, supplies, toys and everything they were going to need when the baby arrived.

As Felicity slept, he thought about the possible outcome of telling Lucas. He still thought what he said to Felicity months before, that their son was smart and he was going to understand that they weren’t going to abandon him. He believed that. But they couldn’t be sure how he was going to react at first, and that worried him.

So, when at 6 am Felicity got up because the baby was sitting on her bladder, he gave up on sleep and decided to work out for some time, promising to be back to her in a few hours. After that and a warm shower, Oliver felt more relaxed.

He stepped into their bedroom and found Felicity standing in front of the mirror. She was only wearing her panties and one of his shirts, pulled up so she could look at her rounded stomach from the side.

“It’s getting evident.” She mumbled, catching his eyes through the mirror.

Oliver stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her until his hands covered hers where they rested on her stomach.

“You’re beautiful.” He reassured her.

Felicity sighed. “I’ve gained weight.”

“And you’re beautiful.” Oliver repeated. “You were beautiful when I met you 12 years ago. You were beautiful when I came home from hell. You were beautiful when 8 years ago we got married. You were beautiful when we decided to have a baby. You were beautiful when we met Lucas and adopted him 2 years ago. And you are beautiful now, with a few more pounds, carrying our child.”

Tears shone in her eyes as she gave him a trembling smile. “You can’t say things like that when you know my hormones are all over the place.”

Oliver laughed and turned her in his arms, leaning down to kiss her. “I love you, Felicity. And I don’t care if you get even more pounds and still keep them after the pregnancy. It won’t change how I feel about you.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate your words and your way to boost my confidence again.” She smiled gratefully at him. “But I wasn’t worried about this, well, not only about this. It’s just that it’s getting evident and people will start to notice, no matter how many large clothes I wear. We need to tell Lucas before someone accidentally lets it slip, because if he thinks we kept it a secret from him-”

“I know.” He nodded. “I know, we tell him before anyone else, so we can reassure him.”

“Yeah.”

Oliver took a deep breath. “Do you want to do that today?”

She looked down at her stomach again, one hand finding what had become one of her favorite spots on the side. “I think we should, even if I’m still terrified of the outcome.”

“We just need to remember he’s smart and he’ll understand.”

“Right.”

So, they started their morning routine. Luckily it was a Saturday morning, and Oliver didn’t have to go to QC. Instead, he took his time to make Lucas’s favorite breakfast as Felicity went to wake him up.

When they joined him in the kitchen, followed closely by Arrow, Oliver smiled widely at them. His wonderful family.

As soon as Lucas sat on his chair, he started to devour his pancakes, making them laugh. “Easy, buddy. They’re all yours, I promise.”

“But they are so good.” He replied with his mouth full. “Chocolate is the best.”

“On that, I agree.” Felicity was quick to say, eating a piece of her own pancake.

Oliver shook his head. “I’ll never understand how the two of you can enjoy junk food so much.”

“This is not junk food.” His wife said. “You made them yourself, they are healthy.”

“You know what I mean.” He insisted. “I’ll never be able to make you eat more fruit or vegetables.”

“You can find new recipes to make us eat them.”

“I like fruit.” Lucas piped in.

“Hey, you were supposed to be on my side.” Felicity half-whispered to him.

Lucas shrugged. “I like daddy’s food.”

 _That’s my boy._ Oliver thought, a proud smile on his face.

“But I like the pancakes with chocolate more than the pancakes with fruit.”

 _And that’s Felicity’s son._ He sighed.

They called it a tie and focused on finishing their breakfast.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Oliver joined Lucas and Felicity on the couch as they watched some cartoons.

As if on cue, on the tv appeared a crying newborn, and as the cartoon continued to play, Oliver glanced at Felicity, who was already looking at him.

Just staring into each other eyes it was like a conversation was going on, and they silently decided it was time.

“Lucas…” Felicity started, catching the boy’s attention as he looked up at her. “There is something important we have to tell you.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Oliver reached across the back of the couch to place a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in support.

“Lucas, I want you to know that we love you very much.” She started.

The boy nodded. “I know. And I love you too.”

It made them smile. “That makes us really happy, Lucas.” Oliver told him. “ _You_ make us really happy.”

“And we are sure that our lives wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t here with us.” She added. “So, remember, we will always want you in our lives.”

There was a frown on his face, probably not understanding why they were talking about this stuff out of the blue.

“Okay.”

Oliver used his free hand to grab Lucas’s. “We want you to remember that. We will _never_ abandon you, and we will always love you. No matter what.”

Felicity leaned down to kiss the top of Lucas’s head and he turned to look at her. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because we want to make sure you know that we love you and that you’re going to spend the next many years with us and…” Her breath hitched and Lucas frowned, looking between the two of them. “With us and… a… a baby brother or sister.”

Oliver couldn’t help the wide smile that formed at her words being spoken out loud, but at the same time he held his breath, waiting for Lucas’s reaction.

He didn’t have to wait too long for that.

The boy’s eyes widened before he looked down at her stomach. “You have a baby in your belly?”

After only a moment of hesitation, Felicity answered him. “Yes.”

Lucas gasped and a smile formed on his lips before he leaned close to hug his mother. “Wow!”

That was not the reaction they expected, at least not so soon.

Felicity’s eyes were shining with tears and those soon fell down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Lucas to hold him close, a contented smile on her lips.

“Are you happy about it?” Oliver checked, a warm feeling invading his chest at seeing their son so enthusiastic.

“I’m going to have a baby brother!” He exclaimed, leaning back to look down at Felicity’s stomach once again. “Or is it a sister?”

She shook her head. “We don’t know yet.”

“Can I touch it?” He asked, one hand hovering over her abdomen.

Felicity chuckled. “Of course. You won’t hurt them.”

They watched as Lucas ever so gently placed a hand on her belly and stared at it expectantly. “I don’t feel anything.” He frowned, looking at them. “Granma Donna says that when a baby moves in a mom’s belly you can feel it.”

Oliver smiled. “That’s too soon for that, the baby is too small to feel it moving.”

“Oh, okay.” He looked disappointed.

Oliver glanced at his wife and saw a frown appear on her face. Maybe Lucas just realized what was going on? Maybe the fear of being taken back to the center just hit him?

He wrapped an arm around the boy. “Lucas, we want you to remember that you don’t have to be afraid, okay? You’re going to stay with us, just like this baby. You don’t have to feel threatened, because we will never abandon you.”

“I know.” He immediately replied. “I’m not scared.”

“Then why you seem sad all of a sudden, sweetie?” Felicity asked him.

“Because I wanted to feel it moving.” He pouted.

They both let out relieved sighs, smiles replacing their frowns. “You will feel it, honey. I’ll make sure to let you know every single time it’s moving.”

Lucas nodded. “Okay.”

They were quiet for a few minutes as Lucas continued to gently run his hand over her stomach, until he sat up straight.

“Auntie Thea knew it!” He exclaimed, making them frown.

“No, Lucas, you’re the first one we’ve told this. No one else knows other than the three of us and the doctor, I swear.” Oliver clarified.

“But she knows.” He insisted. “The other day she asked me if mommy is _paragnantent_.” He said, butchering the word.

Oliver and Felicity looked at each other. Neither of them had told her, but she obviously guessed it. Maybe it was due to the fact that they often asked her to watch Lucas lately, asking for some time for themselves -what they were actually doing was visiting clinics and making sure the pregnancy was going as it was supposed to. They should’ve known that his sister was going to be the first one to know. Well, the second, because Felicity’s mother already suspected it when she visited a few weeks back.

As Lucas’s words registered in her mind, Felicity frowned and whispered, “Am I fat?”

Oliver reached out to her and squeezed her hand. “You’re not, and you’re beautiful.”

Felicity smiled lovingly at him as Lucas stood and started to jump excitedly.

“Can I tell Auntie Thea and Uncle Roy? And Granma Donna!” He pleaded. “And Uncle John too, and the others!”

They both laughed at his enthusiasm.

“Whatever makes you happy, buddy.”

→

That night Felicity fell asleep almost immediately. She easily got tired lately, and Oliver guessed it was due to a mix of excitement, fear and the fact that she was growing a human being inside of her.

He was spooning her from behind, his hands protectively covered her stomach, and he was slowly falling asleep as he breathed in her scent when he heard soft steps approaching the room. He opened his eyes and a few moments later Lucas was standing at the door.

“Lucas?” He whispered.

“Daddy…” He started hesitantly. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

Oliver didn’t even think about it and nodded. It wasn’t often that the boy asked to sleep in their bed, it was only when he had nightmares or something was really bothering him. This time it didn’t look like he had a nightmare, so something was bugging him. And only one thing came to mind.

Oliver slightly pulled back the covers, motioning for him to lay on Felicity’s other side so he didn’t have to move her. “Of course you can stay, Lucas. Just be careful not to wake up mommy, alright? She’s really tired.”

His son nodded and after getting on the bed he went to cuddle close to his mother, but instead of resting his head against her chest like he usually did, he went lower, so his ear was pressed against her stomach, one arm draped over her middle.

The sight warmed Oliver’s heart and he was tempted to grab his phone and take a picture of the moment. Only the thought of waking up Felicity stopped him.

When Lucas closed his eyes, he let out a long sigh.

“Is something bothering you, honey?” Oliver asked him, reaching out to run his hand over the boy’s head.

“I just want us to stay all together.” Lucas whispered.

“Is it about the baby?” He asked tentatively and when his son nodded Oliver felt like this was it. This was the moment they had feared, the moment when Lucas felt threatened by the new member of the family. “Lucas, I swear to you, we will never abandon you. We will all stay together. _Always._ ”

“I know… But I don’t know how.”

Oliver frowned. “You don’t know how?”

“I don’t know how to be a big brother.” He confessed. “Nate and Lizzie were older than me, so I was the little brother, and I know how to be that. But I don’t know how to be a big brother.”

His words relaxed Oliver a little. “You know, when my mother told me I was going to have a little sister, I didn’t know how to be that either. I was afraid to mess it up and be a bad brother. But after your Auntie Thea was born and I first held her in my arms… Those fears went away. I knew I was going to be a good big brother, because I already loved her so much and holding her was one of the best feelings in the world.”

Lucas smiled at his words. “Really?”

“Yes.” He confirmed. “And you don’t have to be afraid of being a bad brother. As long as you care about this child, you’ll be amazing.”

“Thank you, daddy.”

“Of course.” Oliver smiled down at him.

The boy closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Felicity. As Oliver stared down at him, he saw his wife’s rounded stomach peek out from underneath her sleeping shirt. At that moment he remembered her worries from that morning.

“Lucas…” He called him, and the boy looked up at him again. “You also need to remember that mommy will be very emotional for a while. She might laugh one minute and the next start to cry for no reason. But no matter what, we need to be supportive, patient and understanding. We need to tell her how much we love her every day.”

Lucas nodded seriously. “I will tell her.”

“Good. And her body will change because of the pregnancy. She’ll gain weight and probably won’t feel like herself. And most likely she won’t feel beautiful.”

“But mommy is always beautiful.” Lucas contradicted with a frown.

 _That’s my boy._ Oliver smiled proudly at his son.

“Yes, she is. She is very beautiful. But we need to remind her that. Every day.”

→

Lucas was so impatient to give the news, that the next day they invited their family and friends for the big announcement.

There was Donna, Thea and Roy, and John and Lyla with their kids. Instead of cooking some complicated food, Felicity convinced Oliver to order some pizza and just relax.

They were all gathered under the gazebo as they ate. They were all having a good time, talking about easy stuff and Lucas was getting even more impatient. Ever since the first person arrived that morning, he wanted to scream out loud that he was going to be a big brother. His enthusiasm made them feel so much better that they forgot about all the worries they had about him not accepting the baby.

John returned from the kitchen with fresh beers in his hands and placed one in front of Felicity too. She turned to look at Oliver and he subtly nodded at her, the happy smile never fading from his lips. She smiled back and placed a soft kiss on his lips, before turning to her other side where Lucas was sitting.

“Are you ready?” She whispered to him.

He stopped mid-bite and his eyes widened. “Now?” He mumbled with his mouth full.

Felicity nodded and watched with amusement as Lucas swallowed his pizza, drank some water, and wiped his hands and mouth with his napkin before sitting up straight in his chair, an excited smile on his face.

Oliver chuckled at his behavior and placed an arm around her waist, showing her his support. Then she turned to their family.

“Guys… We really want to thank you for being here today, especially with such short notice.” She started.

She grabbed her glass of water as Oliver took his beer, raising it slightly and everyone followed, raising their beers. The kids and Felicity were the only people drinking water and apparently that didn’t escape her mother’s notice because she gasped.

“Just one minute, mom. Please.” She half-whispered.

Lucas really wanted to be the one to give the news and no one was going to take that away from him, even if it meant that she had to tackle down her own mother to stop her from spilling the beans.

“As I was saying, we’re all really happy you’re here today. You’re our family.” She looked at her mother and Thea. “But not only blood defines a family.” Her eyes found Roy, John and Lyla, JJ and Sara and they stopped on Lucas. “We’re all a big family.”

Her son smiled up at her and tears collected in her eyes at the love she saw in Lucas’s eyes.

_Damned hormones!_

Oliver gently squeezed her side before addressing the others. “You are our family. And the beauty in families is that they keep growing.”

Felicity and Oliver looked down at Lucas and smiled at him. He raised his eyebrows in question and they nodded.

“Mommy will have a baby!” He announced excitedly.

Before he even finished that sentence, Donna and Thea were screaming loudly, making Arrow bark at their sudden reaction. Everyone else reacted excitedly, but they had way more control of themselves.

“Oh, my gosh! I knew it!” Her mother screamed as she rounded the table and Felicity stood to receive her hug.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw John hugging Oliver and if she wasn’t mistaken there were tears in both of the men’s eyes.

“I knew it!” Her mother repeated after everyone shared hugs and congratulated them. “Your breast is a dead giveaway, hon.”

“Mom!” She cringed, mortified that everyone heard her comment.

“Oh, I knew it without looking at that.” Thea added beaming at her.

“Yes, you tried to make our son confess something he didn’t know yet.” Oliver pointed out.

“Well, I noticed a few things and I needed to know if I was correct.” Thea looked at Felicity. “Besides, if I directly asked you, you were going to worry that you were getting fat. Which you’re not, because you look amazing.”

“Yes, mommy is beautiful.” Lucas spoke loudly from her side where he clung to her leg.

Felicity looked down at him and smiled, caressing his cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“ _And_ …” Thea continued. “I don’t think we’re the only ones who already guessed it.” She looked pointedly at John.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked frowning.

“He gave her a beer, which she didn’t touch.” Roy supplied.

“Yes!” Thea exclaimed. “And I think that was a test.”

John remained stoic as he glanced at Lyla. They shared a small knowing smile before he raised his hands in innocence. “I won’t admit anything… But like you, I had my guesses.”

Oliver and Felicity looked at each other unbelievingly. “Everyone knew.” She said.

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, Lucas between them. “Well, we did wait a while and we weren’t exactly subtle about something being different.”

“But we weren’t trying to keep it a secret.” Felicity told them. “We just wanted to wait and be sure… you know.” She finished quietly and understanding faces stared back at them.

“But everything is going okay, right?” Her mother asked her.

They both smiled widely. “Everything is perfect.”

Everyone started to ask about how far along she was, if it was a boy or a girl, and similar other questions.

And as the day passed with their family happy and supportive, Oliver and Felicity’s worries never once showed up.

→

_Three months later._

With a tired sigh, she sat on the couch and closed her eyes.

It had been a tiring day, she had to make a presentation for an important investor at QC that went on for quite a few hours, and with a 7 months pregnant belly just standing was a hard task to do.

Now that the day was finally over, with the investor approving her project and the board satisfied with her work, Felicity could finally rest.

After dinner, she felt the couch dip next to her as Oliver gently moved her so she was lying down and placed her aching feet on his lap, massaging them and making her moan in relief.

“That feels amazing.” She sighed.

He hummed. “You shouldn’t have strained yourself so much.” He quietly told her.

She smiled. “But it was worth it.” With the new deal the company was going to do even better.

When Oliver sighed again, Felicity opened her eyes to look at him. He continued to rub her feet, but his eyes were trained on her face. He was looking at her with a small smile on his face, pride evident in his eyes just like the love, but there was also worry. She understood that, she was worried too about the little person growing inside of her because they both knew that something could still go wrong, even at this stage.

“I think it’s time for you to start your maternity leave.” Oliver calmly told her.

Felicity knew it was going to happen eventually. Even if she mostly worked from home, she still spent a lot of time on her laptop to work on her projects and review her staff’s work, and as the pregnancy progressed, she got tired to even type on her computer.

After today, she knew it was time to take a step back.

“Okay.” Felicity agreed with her husband, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise. “You thought I was going to fight you on that, didn’t you?”

Oliver gave her a small smile. “Maybe.”

She quietly laughed before turning serious. “On any other occasion I would have done that, but… We both know that I need to take it easy.” Her hands rested on her stomach. “I don’t want to put our baby in any danger, even if my job requires mostly brain muscles.”

“It’s still tiring.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I realize that. Which is why I will gladly start the maternity leave.”

Oliver took a deep breath and let it out slowly before leaning down and softly kissing her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She whispered back against his lips, closing her eyes as he returned to his task, working her tired muscles.

It was probably ten minutes later that she heard Lucas walking into the room. Felicity opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“Hey, sweetie. Are you tired of playing with your toys?”

Lucas nodded and looked at Oliver with curious eyes. After a few seconds of studying him, the boy went to sit next to his father. Without a word, he reached out to take one foot, trying to mimic Oliver’s hands.

He basically caressed her foot rather than giving her a massage, but it didn’t matter. Her husband and her son were rubbing her feet after a tiring day at work. She felt tears collect in her eyes at the sweet action.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.”

Lucas smiled at her. “Daddy says we have to take care of you, and I want to do that. I want to help.”

She saw Oliver wink at their son, a proud smile on his face.

“I love you so much, honey.” Felicity whispered to him and he smiled back.

“I love you too, mommy. And you daddy. And I love the baby.”

The tears finally spilled from her eyes at her son’s caring words.

“Our two little miracles.”

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tomorrow with the last part!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last part of the pregnancy one-shot!
> 
> Enjoy!

Oliver woke up in the middle of the night. At first, he didn’t know what woke him, but then he heard it.

A whimper.

A pained whimper coming from his wife, and as he reached out to her, he noticed that she was curled up on herself, her hands covering her rounded stomach and even in the dark he saw her face contorted in pain.

“Felicity?” He whispered worriedly, receiving another whimper in response. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. “What’s going on? Are you in pain?”

She let out a small sob and nodded, her eyes still shut tightly.

“What- what hurts?” He asked, fearing that he already knew the answer.

“It’s the baby…” She whispered. “Something’s wrong.”

Without wasting another second, Oliver stood and turned on the lights as he rounded the bed. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

He hastily put on shirt and sweatpants and gathered Felicity in his arms. As he stood back again, he noticed a dark spot on the bed.

Blood.

It wasn’t much, and it was mostly pink, but his heart skipped a beat and when Felicity followed his line of sight, she let out another cry, this time in fear. “No…”

_Not again._ Was his first thought. They couldn’t suffer like that again, not when they had over 8 months to feel safe, to believe that everything was going to be okay this time.

Oliver briefly closed his eyes and gathered as much strength as he could. His wife needed him more than ever.

He pressed a kiss against her temple. “I’ve got you. Everything will be alright.”

Not wasting more time, he turned around and stepped in their son’s room. “Lucas, wake up. Lucas.” The boy turned on his bed and glanced in his direction. “We’ve got to go. Mommy is not feeling well.” He told him as gently as he could.

“Mommy?” He whispered groggily, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“Yes, we need to take her to the hospital, now.”

Lucas gasped and pulled back his covers, standing on unsteady feet. They made their way downstairs, all the while Felicity cried on his shoulder, both in fear and pain. Oliver could feel his hands shaking but he needed to push down his own fears.

“Put on your shoes.” He told Lucas, as he did the same without putting down his wife and then grabbed his keys.

“And a jacket.” Felicity whispered through clenched teeth.

Lucas did as they said, and soon they were driving to the nearest hospital. Every few seconds Oliver glanced back at Felicity and he always saw her clutching her stomach as Lucas held her hand helplessly.

When they arrived at the hospital, Oliver carried Felicity inside and screamed for help. Two nurses approached them and a gurney soon appeared in front of him.

“What happened, Sir?” One of them asked as the other called for backup.

He gently placed down Felicity. “I don’t know, we were sleeping and then she started to feel pain. And there was some blood on the bed.” He grabbed his wife’s hand and she held it tightly in response as she breathed through her pain.

“How far along is she?” The nurse asked as she checked Felicity.

“Just over 8 months.” Oliver’s voice trembled at the possibility of losing everything.

Two more doctors arrived and they quickly decided to take her in a room to be examined.

Oliver took Lucas’s hand and was ready to follow wherever they were going to take Felicity, but the nurse stopped him.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but we can’t let you in with the child.” She told him apologetically.

Oliver knew it made sense, it was not something he wanted Lucas to assist to, but he couldn’t leave his son alone and he didn’t want to leave Felicity either.

“Stay with him.” Felicity said. Her eyes were open just a bit and he could see the fear, but also the strength.

Knowing he shouldn’t waste precious time, he forced himself to let go of her hand, but not before he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

“I’ll call John and I’ll be there with you soon.” He whispered. “I promise.”

“Take care of Lucas.” She whispered back.

Oliver stood helplessly in the middle of the hallway, watching as the doctors wheeled his wife away from him. When she was out of sight, Lucas tugged at his hand.

“Daddy?”

He leaned down and picked up his son, holding him close. “I’m here, honey.”

“Are mommy and the baby okay?” He whispered, his lip quivering.

Oliver wanted to reassure him, but he didn’t know if his answer was going to be a lie. So, he stuck to part of the truth. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I really hope so.”

→

Time seemed to pass slowly as he paced the hallway with Lucas half asleep in his arms. He turned for the umpteenth time when a doctor appeared from behind the closed doors. He quickly walked to the woman.

“You’re Mr. Queen, right?”

“Yes, how are Felicity and our baby?” He asked, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, unconsciously holding Lucas closer to him.

“We checked her over and we can tell for sure that your wife is in labor.” The doctor explained.

Oliver frowned. “But we just reached the eighth month, it’s too soon and…”

“I know it feels soon, but premature labor is not that uncommon. At the moment, they’re both safe,” the woman informed him, “but there is some blood loss. For now it’s under control, but the baby is ready to come out, and an urgent delivery is required to prevent the risks of infections.”

Oliver nodded. “I understand. Do you think I can come in?” He quickly checked his watch. “My friend will be here in a few minutes, so he can take care of my son.”

He really wanted to be there to help and support Felicity, and he wanted to be present at their child’s birth. They dreamt this moment for years and he couldn’t miss it, especially if the situation was getting critical and Felicity needed him.

“Yes, you can. But if complications will arise, you may have to leave the room.”

Oliver knew that was a possibility even on normal circumstances, but he decided to believe that everything was going to be okay.

“Alright. Thank you, doctor.”

The woman went back from the way she came and Oliver was left alone again. He looked down at Lucas, who was staring up at him, his lip quivering.

“Mommy is not okay?”

He ran a comforting hand over the boy’s head and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “The doctors are helping her and the baby. We have to be strong for them right now.”

→

It felt like she had been in that room for hours. The doctors hooked her up on so many machines that she lost count of the wires they attached to her. Not that she cared about that, all that she cared about was that they were helping her baby.

Felicity was so scared for her child that she didn’t even flinch when the nurses poked her with needles to give her liquids or whatever.

When the doctor told her it was time to push, she froze.

She always dreamt this moment with Oliver by her side, after the whole nine months of pregnancy and when it was the right time for the baby’s birth.

She didn’t think it was going to happen so soon, when she was all alone and scared.

Felicity was terrified of failing, or that something was going to go wrong, and she started to panic but then she heard his voice calling her name.

She turned to her right and saw him enter the room, dressed with one of those disposable gowns and caps, probably to reduce the risks of infection the doctor told her about.

“Hey.” He whispered when he was next to her, his left hand rested on the top of her head as the right grabbed her hand.

“You’re here.” She sighed, almost fearing that he was a hallucination.

But she felt Oliver’s soft lips as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m right here, sweetheart.”

His soothing voice immediately calmed her. She could feel he was scared too and was trying to be strong for her, and that actually helped her. Felicity had no idea how she got so lucky to find someone like him, who could calm her with just a few words.

She sighed again, closing her eyes. “Lucas?”

“He’s with John.” Oliver reassured her.

“I’m sorry I scared him. Again.” Felicity mumbled through gritted teeth as another painful contraction hit her.

“It’s okay.” Oliver caressed her cheek. “He’ll be so happy when he’ll see you and the baby are alright.”

The doctor quietly cleared her throat. “And we’ll make sure you two will be fine. But now Felicity you need to push.”

After just another moment of hesitation, she looked back at Oliver again. In his eyes she found support and love, and that gave her the strength to do as the doctor said.

The next hours were a blur.

Felicity wasn’t sure how long it went on, the only thing she was aware of was the pain. The pain, and Oliver’s undying support.

He stayed by her side the whole time. He whispered encouraging words to her, wiped her damp forehead with a soft cloth, and never let go of her hand, no matter how tightly she squeezed it.

The doctors were amazing too and their reassuring words calmed her, but no one was able to reassure her as Oliver did.

After a long time, she was crying and breathing hard.

“One more push, Felicity.” The doctor instructed her.

“I can’t.”

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” Oliver whispered. “You’re doing great and you’re almost there.”

She was sure she couldn’t even lift a finger anymore, let alone push out a baby from her-

Oliver chuckled. “You can do this.” He said. “You’re strong, you can do it. I know you can.”

“I’m tired.” She whimpered. “And it hurts.”

“I know, and I’m sorry you have to go through this. If I could take your pain, I would.” He told her, and she knew he really meant it. “But we’re almost there… Think about our baby. Think about when we’ll finally see if it’s a boy or a girl, think about holding them, just think about them. Our second little miracle is right here.” He smiled widely at her. “Try to use that as your strength.”

It felt like his words gave her a shot of adrenaline and, without wasting more time, she used that to push. It took her a few tries, but then the doctor told her to stop and the pain… the pain got better.

“Here we go.” The doctor said as a nurse gave her a pair of scissors.

That meant the baby was out, but…

“I don’t hear any crying.” Felicity’s voice trembled. “Why the baby isn’t crying?”

She looked at Oliver as he stared at the doctor with equal dread on his face and held his breath.

The woman opened her mouth to answer, when the baby finally let out a high-pitched cry and she saw a little arm moving around.

Felicity couldn’t control the sob that escaped her lips as she closed her eyes in relief. She felt Oliver’s trembling lips kiss her temple and when she opened her eyes and looked up at him, he was crying too.

“Congratulations, guys.” The doctor said. “You now have a beautiful daughter.”

A girl. They had a girl.

The woman stood and gently placed the moving baby on Felicity’s chest, and Oliver was quick to place a secure hand on the back. They hadn’t cleaned her yet, just her face and placed a cover around her small body, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered to them was that their daughter was there with them and alive.

“Hi, Mia.” Felicity whispered as her trembling hand cradled the baby’s head.

There were a few names they liked and still hadn’t decided which one they were going to use, but as soon as she laid her eyes on her daughter’s scrunched up face… The choice was already made.

“She’s so beautiful.” Oliver let out in a breathless whisper.

For a full minute they just stared at her, studied her red puffy cheeks, her little nose, her plump lips, and the short blond hair.

When Mia quieted down some, the doctor reached out for her. “I’m going to check out if everything is fine. I promise you’ll have her back in a couple of minutes.”

Felicity didn’t want to ever let go of her, but she knew it was important to make sure that she was healthy. So, fighting against her own, she let the doctor take her daughter.

As the woman checked on Mia and another doctor finished to work on Felicity, she turned her head to her husband and he immediately leaned down to kiss her.

“You were amazing.” He said, pride evident in his voice. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She whispered back, then closed her eyes and finally caught her breath.

It was just a few minutes later that Mia was brought back to them, now all cleaned up and with a blanket wrapped around her.

Felicity couldn’t help but think that she was so small. It shouldn’t have surprised her since she was born three weeks early, but it did and it made her seem so fragile that Felicity tightened the hold she had on her.

“Hey, Mia…” Oliver whispered as he caressed her rosy cheek. “We have been waiting for a long time to see you.”

She had stopped crying and seemed already asleep, but Mia seemed to snuggle closer to Felicity’s chest and at the same time she turned her head so that Oliver’s hand engulfed her face.

“She’s so beautiful.” Felicity echoed her husband’s earlier words.

Oliver kissed the top of her head and then did the same with Mia. “Yes, she is.”

→

The doctors had let them hold Mia for around an hour, then declared that they needed to do a more thorough exam to check all the vitals of the baby and make sure nothing was wrong.

This time, Felicity didn’t fight them, mostly because she was so tired that she thought she was going to fall asleep for an entire week.

The doctors told Oliver that he could stay with them if he wanted while Felicity rested and she didn’t hesitate when she saw the eagerness on her husband’s face.

“Thank you. I’ll be back with her very soon.” He promised.

“I’ll be waiting for the two of you.” She smiled at him and after one more kiss he followed Mia and the doctors.

Two nurses brought Felicity in a room and she immediately asked them if her son was still around. After a couple of minutes, he walked in with John following closely.

“Mommy!” His eyes lit up when he saw her and he ran to her bed, jumping on it to hug her.

She was still sore and he was hugging her tightly, but she didn’t care. Her son was there while her husband was with their daughter. Everything felt perfect.

Almost perfect. Perfect was going to be when Oliver and Mia joined her and Lucas.

“Hi, baby.” She whispered as she hugged him back. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, mommy.”

He pulled back slightly and looked down at her stomach. It was still round, but definitely less prominent than a few hours back without Mia in it. Before him or John could think of the worst, she smiled widely at them.

“It’s a girl.” Felicity told them proudly. “She’s fine, they’re checking her out and Oliver is with her right now.”

Lucas gasped and hugged her again as John smiled kindly at her. “A girl. That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, John.”

Lucas pulled back again. “So it’s Mia?”

Ever since they started to look for names, Lucas liked Mia for a girl from the moment Oliver suggested it. And it was perfect that their daughter looked like a Mia.

Felicity smiled at him and nodded. “Mia it is.”

“It’s a beautiful name, Felicity. I’m so happy for the both of you.” John told her and she heard the sincerity in his voice.

She could also read in his kind eyes the words he wasn’t saying out loud.

_After everything you’ve been through, you two deserve this._

She was once again grateful to have friends and a family like that.

Felicity told them what happened and how it went, and told them about Mia. As she talked, she started to struggle to keep her eyes open and John decided to let her rest. He even offered to keep Lucas, but he insisted to stay with his mother. Felicity agreed, wanting to keep her son close in this moment of joy.

After John left, she knew she fell asleep for a few moments every couple of minutes, but she tried to stay awake for Lucas. She told him he could take a nap with her, but he already slept while he was with John.

When she woke up again and found Lucas sitting on the chair, looking at her worriedly, she knew something was bothering him. She reached out with a hand and he immediately took it.

“Everything is okay, baby.” She reassured him, and gave him a weak smile.

As soon as she said those words, his lip quivered. “Are you going to die, mommy?” He asked and let out a sob.

She couldn’t blame him for thinking that. There was that terrifying moment back at home when she thought the same thing, that she and the baby were going to die. And they basically dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night to take her to the hospital. Lucas was probably still shaken up by that and the lack of sleep didn’t help either.

So Felicity opened her arms and invited him to rest next to her, hoping it would calm him and reassure him that she wasn’t going to leave him. He carefully laid next to her, careful of the wires and hid his face in her neck.

“No, Lucas. I’m not going anywhere.” She kissed the top of his head. “And neither is Mia.”

As if on cue, the door opened and Oliver walked in with Mia in his arms. He was smiling down at her as he sat next to Lucas and their son sat up again, trying to take a closer look.

“Lucas… This is your baby sister. Mia.” Oliver told him, holding out the baby.

Their son looked back at her with a puzzled face. “You don’t take her first?”

Felicity shook her head. “I’ve already held her for a while. Now it’s your turn.”

As much as she wanted to hold Mia, she knew Lucas needed this. He needed to know, to feel, that she wasn’t going to be a threat for him and that everything was going to be fine.

When he turned to Oliver, Lucas wrapped his arms around Mia. Felicity kept an arm around his back to steady him as Oliver had his hand under Mia to secure her in their son’s embrace. They both watched in silence as their son took her in, studying her face.

Felicity silently asked Oliver if everything was fine with their daughter, and he nodded smiling reassuringly at her.

“She looks angry.” Lucas said next to her and it made them laugh.

“Well, she was lying comfortably for almost nine months.” She said. “Now she left that comfort.” Felicity stopped and watched in fascination as Mia’s face relaxed. “But she found another kind of comfort in your arms, see?”

Their son nodded. “Hi, Mia.” He whispered. “I’m your big brother.” He told her with a smile. “I can’t wait for you to come home with us. We have a big house, and a big garden, and a lot of toys, and an amazing dog. You’re going to love Arrow very much, and when you will grow you will play with him too. He helps me sometimes, and he will help you too if you need it.”

Felicity felt tears slip down her cheeks, and soon Oliver was wiping them away with his free hand. She looked at him and noticed he was crying too.

Oliver leaned down and tenderly kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She whispered back, then turned to their son, who was watching them. “We love you so much, Lucas. And we love your sister.”

“Please, don’t ever think that we’ll love the two of you differently.” Oliver reminded him once again. “You are both our children. The same way, blood or not.”

Lucas nodded and they could clearly see that he knew they meant it, just like every single time they told him those words.

They continued to stare at their children with smiles on their faces.

Mia suddenly let out a yawn. How could she yawn when she was already asleep Felicity had no idea, but she guessed they were going to find out interesting things now with a newborn. Things they unfortunately weren’t present with Lucas, but as their son smiled at Mia again, they knew that they couldn’t go back in time and live them. They were just going to enjoy whatever moment they had with him now.

“Are you happy Lucas?” She asked him.

“I’m very happy.” He said, nodding.

And that was everything they’ve ever wanted.

A happy family.

→

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a little hard to write this, I knew what I wanted to happen but I struggled to find the right words. In the end, I hope I did it justice.


End file.
